No Turning Back

By Employment Service Manager, Constance Taylor

Often times our participants lack vision and a genuine desire to reach for their dreams to achieve and excel. They cannot always believe they deserve a better paying job with benefits working within a highly committed and professional team. One of my chief goals is to exercise coaching tools that propel our participants beyond what they can imagine.

After several years of verbal abuse with her current employer, Tonya was suspended for two weeks when she finally expressed her concerns of how she was being treated to higher management. While rehearsing the details of the event she realized this may be a good time to weigh her options. After five years of committed service with the existing company, the thought of pursuing another career was a little frightening.

She decided to put in some applications and see what happens. Her first application was for an office position as a receptionist. To her surprise she was contacted for an interview within three days. She was offered the position earning more money with an extensive benefit package. Community LINC’s employment services program was able to provide her with donated clothing perfect for the new job.

She is on her way to a brand new job and life. Her new employer plans to train her on other job functions which will also strengthen her ability to learn new skills and provide the tools needs to expand her new career path. What an awesome turn around at a time that seemed like things were about to crumble. No turning back now only soaring ahead at a brand new future.

Jobs Matter: A Family Reconnects

By Job Readiness Coach Constance Taylor

 

Ms. K was very excited about becoming a participant and it didn’t take long for her to get a job. She entered our program around the middle of September and three weeks later, she found a job at an area hotel.

 

I believe her greatest motivation was reconnecting with her son. There is not much that a loving mother won’t do for her children; however, life’s challenges can get to the best parents and they are sometimes unable to perform and provide properly for their children. In this case, other family members stepped in and fulfilled that role, but didn’t take her place. Their help let her son stay in school and extra curriculum activities, including working a part time job.

 

To see the beam in her eye as she approached my office with the good news that she found a job was extremely rewarding.  Although, her income is shy of being one of a livable wage, I believe it is a good start and they are well on their way to self-sufficiency and a healthy lifestyle together.

Jobs Matter: A Refresing Sight

By Employment Coach Connie Taylor 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in June that the total nonfarm employment for the Kansas City, Mo.-Kan., Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 1,017,000 in May 2014, up 1,900 or 0.2 percent, from May 2013.  This is great news for the participants of our job readiness program at Community LINC. 

More than 50% of our families are unemployed upon arrival.

It was refreshing a few days ago to see one of our aftercare participants still employed 10 months after she secured a job while living at Community LINC.  She had limited opportunities due to her prior criminal record. She was terminated for her participation in a public disturbance on her last job and convicted of assault. 

Although, it was not a pretty picture, we had to encourage her to continue to press forward.  She located a company that needed her ability to speak Spanish and applied for the position. She explained her poor choices and expressed regret and was afforded another chance at employment. She has proven herself to be trustworthy again and is looking forward to promotion to management one day.

Employment Matters: It Was All Worth It

By Employment Coach Constance Taylor

“I really want to look nice for this job interview. I can stay at this job for the rest of my life and be able to take care of my family.” These words will never escape me when I think of this participant. He is so anxious to put his life back together again.

When he first came to the job lab, he was extremely insecure and unbelieving that anything would happen for him.  Although he could name many skills that he possessed, his work experience on the paper was very sporadic and unverifiable. He had no high school diploma or G.E.D. and no permanent residency. He had no computer knowledge, so applying online was out of the question.

It seemed all of the odds were against him.

His family moved to Kansas City from another state about 6 months ago. His goal was to start his life over again. His parents passed away, his car was repossessed, his house was foreclosed and he lost his job. His life spun out of control and he became consumed with drinking alcohol and he was angry.

 

I handed him paperwork to fill out, which helped me to gage his intellect. I discovered that he has the ability to finish his high school education and he is a fast learner.  He attended a computer class in the employment lab taught by “Connecting for Good” and he is able to use the computer independently now.

He secured a position with a large supermarket stripping and waxing floors overnight and he is very happy. He just had an opportunity to interview for another position at an area hospital. However, he likes his current position well enough to remain there. It is hard for him to believe that he went from no job leads to numerous inquiries. He spent hours in the lab submitting applications and answering questions and believes it was all worth it in the end.

He is now looking for housing and his family is very happy, content and grateful for a second chance at life.    

Jobs Matter: Overcoming Homelessness Employment Barriers

By Employment Services Jobs Coach, Constance Taylor

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate for August 2013 was 7.3%. The survey showed that the US unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points in August to 7.3%. The unemployment rate peaked in October 2009 at 10.0% and is now 2.7 percentage points lower. 

In July 2013 the National unemployment rate was 7.4%. Missouri was at 7.1% with the number of persons unemployed in Kansas City at 69,607. This number increased from 68,797 unemployed in June. While the national level decreased the number of unemployed in Kansa City increased.

Many homeless individuals are part of the population of the unemployed. Their barriers to employment are extreme, with homelessness being at the top of the list.  The barriers are sometimes due to trauma (often experienced when they became homeless), lack of education, computer knowledge, job experience and other skills.  Subpopulations of the homeless also have barriers from incarceration, extended hospitalization, mental illness, and alcohol and/or drug abuse.

Research shows that people who are homeless do want to work. “Researchers with the Department of Labor seven-year Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program reported that with the correct blend of assessment, case management, employment, training, housing and support services, a substantial portion of homeless individuals can secure and retain jobs that will contribute to housing stability.”

Through studies, the Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance Center found that staff members are challenged while working with employers who also often share stereotypes that a homeless person with multiple barriers are not good candidates for employment. Employers sometimes automatically assume that they will have a poor appearance, will not have good hygiene and will not fit in the workplace because of stigma that comes with having no permanent housing.

To help individuals overcome and be successful, our Employment Program strives to develop individual employment plans based on each person’s short term, intermediate and long term goals. Our approach is to assist each person to develop a plan that will provide positive long term benefits that will prevent any more instances of homelessness.

It's even harder to search for a job without childcare.

We believe that if the person owns the steps required to get different results, with support from our staff and services, they will have long lasting success with security in employment and housing. 

We are striving to develop partnerships with other agencies like Connections to Success, Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission Second-Chance Program for ex-offenders, and will make referrals to other agencies and organizations in the community that will assist meeting the needs of those experiencing addictions and mental illness at the discretion of our Mental Health Director. Our aftercare program provides us the ability to follow a participant up to 9 months of recovery. 

In conclusion, in the book written by Liane Phillips and Echo Montgomery Garrett, “Why Don’t They Just Get a Job”, you witness the compassion of two community leaders who believe that there is hope even for those expelled by society.  We share the opinion of the authors that we must be the ones that help answer that question and believe that even the chronically homeless population can achieve stable employment with decent wages and health benefits, when they take the necessary steps to break the chains of poverty.  

Jobs are fundamental

We've been watching the number of families who have left the transitional housing program for permanent homes decline over the last two years. To figure out why, Senior Director of Programs and Operations Jeannine Short compared the characteristics of the people who succeeded in transitioning to permanent homes to those who didn't, including their self-sufficiency assessment scores. Not surprisingly, she pinpointed unemployment as the most important factor in the decline.

We knew that unemployment was keeping people from "working the program" and it goes without saying that unemployed people aren't likely to get permanent housing.

Jeannine's study revealed that 100% of the families who exited successfully to permanent homes in 2009 and year-to-date in 2010 had jobs. Only 20% of the families who left without a permanent home had jobs. Their stays were also much shorter –13 months for those who exited successfully compared to less than 5 months for those who did not. Our residents don't always have marketable skills and they are competing for jobs with many others who do. Those who give up without a job, pay a high price for getting discouraged.

Jobs aren't the only factor that permanently ends homelessness. Financial education (budgeting), new life skills, coaching and mental health counseling all contribute to building the skills needed to stay living independently. But, jobs, like affordable housing, are fundamental.

In response, we've beefed up our job placement program by creating a computer lab where our clients can access the Internet, write resumes and get coaching (and the kids can have supervised access at night). And, we've been extremely fortunate to find that one of our interns, Norma, is skilled in job placement. In the few weeks since she took over the lab, she's found jobs for three residents we didn't think had a snowball's chance of being hired. Demand is so high, she's having to set up a schedule to accommodate both our outreach clients and our transitional housing residents. There is light at the end of this tunnel.