For young adults aging out of foster care, turning 18 can mean navigating adulthood without the support system many people take for granted. Petra Cares, a Cypress-based nonprofit, is working to change that by giving young people not only job training, but the practical support and encouragement needed to turn an opportunity into a future.
Established in 2021 as the charitable arm of Petra Automotive Products, Petra Cares held its first class in June 2023. The organization primarily serves young adults transitioning out of foster care, as well as those experiencing homelessness or otherwise in need of support. Its mission is to eliminate barriers, provide training and connect students with meaningful employment.
“We look at what these kids have had to carry and stand in awe rather than stand in judgment as to how they carry it,” says Brian Meza, managing director of Petra Cares.
The need is sobering. Petra Cares cites statistics showing that 80% of young adults aging out of foster care face homelessness, incarceration or worse within three years of leaving the system. For Petra Cares, that reality underscores the importance of intervening during a pivotal period of life.
The organization began after Arnold Gacita, founder of Petra Automotive Products, and a group of friends set out to create a charitable foundation. After speaking with Harris County family court Judge Eric Andell about the challenges facing young adults leaving foster care, the group shifted its focus toward employment training and career placement. Gacita remains president and founder of Petra Cares, bringing his longstanding commitment to community service to the organization.
Petra Cares’ seven-week program is designed around a simple premise: removing the obstacles that can keep a young person from succeeding. Students receive automotive technician training, books, tools, transportation and meals at no cost. They also receive a weekly stipend for attending class and, upon successfully completing the program and securing employment, a $3,500 professional tool set to help launch their careers.
Those incentives are not simply extras. They are part of the foundation’s understanding of what its students are facing.
Meza points to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: When a young person is worried about where they will sleep or where their next meal will come from, education can understandably fall down the list of priorities.
“They have the good idea and the good to-do it, but they don’t have the support structure, the systems in place,” Meza says. “They’re concerned about their next meal. They’re concerned about where they’re going to sleep. They’re concerned about not being homeless.”
So Petra Cares removes those concerns wherever it can. Staff drive students to and from class, provide lunch and help with necessities that could otherwise derail their progress. That support can extend to helping a student obtain a driver’s license or even helping them get glasses they need to drive.
The training itself combines classroom instruction with hands-on experience. Students learn shop safety, vehicle inspections, fluids, tires, brakes and electrical systems, while also visiting dealerships and learning how the automotive industry works. Life-skills training covers financial literacy, budgeting, goal-setting, conflict resolution, résumés and interviewing—teaching students not only how to get a job, but how to keep and advance in one.
The results are beginning to show. As of May 2026, Petra Cares reported 140 students enrolled across 14 cohorts, with a 72% graduation rate and a 78% job-placement rate among graduates.
And the opportunities are expanding beyond automotive technician roles. Petra Cares recently launched its first Title Clerk and Warranty Administration training program, creating another pathway into dealership careers. The inaugural class was designed specifically to reach young women who may not envision themselves working as technicians but can find meaningful careers within the automotive industry.
A new 7,800-square-foot facility in Cypress is helping make that growth possible. Opened in May 2026, the space includes two automotive service bays and expanded classroom space, increasing the organization’s training capacity by 75%.
For Meza, though, the numbers only tell part of the story. The real measure of success is what happens when a student begins to see a future that once seemed out of reach.
“We tell them it’s better to do than to dream,” Meza says. “It’s great to be a dreamer, but it’s better to be a doer.”
He has watched graduates remain in their jobs, earn promotions and begin building lives of their own. He’s received videos from former students showing off new apartments and cars—ordinary milestones that can represent extraordinary change for someone who once had nowhere to go.
“You know, these kids, all they need is a chance,” Meza says. “All they need is somebody to believe in them.”
The community can be part of providing that chance. Petra Cares is seeking financial support, employer connections, mentors, volunteer drivers and people willing to provide meals for students. Businesses can also help by considering Petra Cares graduates for employment opportunities. The organization’s website provides information about donating and other ways to get involved at Petra Cares.
As Petra Cares looks toward expanding its reach, its goal remains focused: equip young adults with the skills, support and confidence to build careers—and, ultimately, lives—of their own.