Hope Services, a nonprofit that trains and places people who face barriers to employment, has bought a former bank building at Bayonet Point in Hudson and plans to open its first west Pasco training center there by spring. Until now, west Pasco residents had to travel to the agency's Land O' Lakes facility.

Staff toured the building, which sits behind the Wendy's at the northwest corner of U.S. 19 and S.R. 52, on Aug. 21. The break room will become a culinary arts training kitchen equipped to duplicate a commercial kitchen in every way. Another room becomes a construction training classroom, and another a recreation of a hospital room where students will train for medical technician jobs. A further area will be set up for training in hospitality and retail.

Classes will stay small, perhaps 10 students per field, said David Caldas, Hope's executive director of operations. The agency has instructors on staff and will hire more for Bayonet Point. Cost to students will be minimal and in some cases covered by grant money. "We try to make it as accessible as possible," Caldas said. He said that in some fields, including health care, an employer will pay for a graduate to continue their education once hired.

The location matters for students without a car. The building sits across from the county bus service's Bayonet Point hub, which connects riders north, south and east, including Hernando County's TheBus routes 16, 19 and 21.

Cindy Bray and her husband started Hope in 2003 after their daughter, who has a disability, struggled to find a job. The organization now has 22 employees. Bray said 423 graduates were placed in jobs in 2025 and more than 460 have been placed so far this year. A "hot sledge" fundraiser is planned for sometime in September, when supporters will take sledgehammers to walls marked for demolition to start the remodeling. Information is at hopegetsjobs.org.