A Grapevine nonprofit that has housed more than 900 single women since 2015 is steering participants toward middle-skill careers through a new vocational certification track backed by more than $200,000 in scholarships from the mikeroweWORKS Foundation.

The Gatehouse, a 61-acre residential campus with 96 apartments off Grapevine's northwest side, launched the vocational track in April 2025, according to a Fort Worth Report profile published Sunday, Aug. 23. The program gives eligible single women up to 18 months of rent-free housing to complete a trade certification, vocational program or STEM associate degree, followed by an additional year of career support.

That totals up to two and a half years on campus.

Chelsea Hinman, The Gatehouse's chief program officer, said the track was created in response to shifts in the Texas workforce. Nearly half of job openings in the state are now middle-skill roles requiring education beyond high school but not a four-year degree, according to the Texas Workforce Commission and Texas 2036, a nonpartisan policy think tank.

"Suddenly many entry-level jobs couldn't provide enough (income) to cover most apartments, so we needed to find a way to help these women upgrade their skills," Hinman told the Fort Worth Report.

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation, the nonprofit created by TV host Mike Rowe, partnered with The Gatehouse to fund the scholarship program. The foundation's broader Work Ethic Scholarship Program is accepting applications through Saturday, Oct. 31, with a goal of awarding $10 million nationally this year across trades including nursing, HVAC, electrical and welding.

From eviction to certification

Ariel Richardson, one of the vocational track's early graduates, was living in her car about two years ago after her apartment building caught fire and she was evicted from a subsequent unit she couldn't afford. She found The Gatehouse through an Instagram ad while pursuing her lactation consultant certification.

The program provided housing while she finished her coursework and helped clear her eviction record so she could lease an apartment afterward. Richardson is now an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and was hired by an Austin-based company as their first Dallas-Fort Worth area employee.

Workforce context

The vocational track arrives as state leaders push credentials over traditional four-year degrees. Gov. Greg Abbott on June 22 issued directives to four state agencies to strengthen workforce development, saying "the demand for a high-skilled workforce has never been greater." Texas is projected to add about 2.1 million jobs by 2032, and nearly half will require some form of postsecondary education, according to Texas 2036.

The Gatehouse was founded by Lisa Rose and her husband, former BNSF CEO Matt Rose, with an initial grant from the Rose Family Foundation. In addition to the new vocational track, the organization launched an education track in 2023 for women pursuing bachelor's or master's degrees. Participants also receive childcare, financial coaching and counseling.

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