Since 2015, Chad Houser has taken his mission of helping formerly incarcerated young men and women to Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Nashville through his nonprofit restaurant Café Momentum.
Wednesday morning, he was given a monetary boost to help continue that mission. During a segment on “Good Morning America,” Houser was surprised with a $10,000 check to help his expansion. The segment was part of a series called “Small Business, Big Impact” on the morning show, which highlights local businesses in the U.S. that are impacting their communities.
Café Momentum started in Dallas as a place where young people impacted by the juvenile justice system could learn life skills through year-long paid internship programs in a restaurant setting. The concept has helped more than 1,000 young people, and Houser has plans to expand Café Momentum to Atlanta, Denver, Houston, and more cities across the country.
He told GMA’s Michael Strahan during an interview Wednesday that he wants to bring communities together through the nonprofit restaurant.
“Bringing them together empowers the community that they can be the change,” Houser says. “That everything done at Café Momentum is driven by the community, that the young people envision themselves as members of a larger community than just their neighborhood.”
Houser was handed the $10,000 check, funded by Chase Ink, with a big smile. Check out the segment here.
Café Momentum, 1510 Pacific Ave.
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