Work Opportunities for the Homeless….

Employment is one of the most important issues to address when considering solutions for homelessness.  The problem is not finding supplemental income such as panhandling to get by on a day-to-day basis, because this is not necessarily difficult to acquire.  However, finding a stable permanent job with a steady source of income if you’re homeless presents a great challenge.  It is a vicious cycle because you cannot get a job without a permanent address and identification, but you can also not get a permanent residence without a job in order to afford such amenities.   Also, a shabby appearance and lack of skills and proper training is a common obstacle the homeless face when trying to enter into the job market.

What are some possible employment opportunities?

Programs such as CAMP[i] provide training such as resume building, interviewing skills, vocational training, along with referrals for resources such as childcare, and counseling programs for the mentally ill. The ideology of this organization is that it is a collaborative effort between employment and social services in order to attain the goal of long term employment.

The Job Initiatives[ii] is a similar organization that assists workers in five cities throughout the U.S. being; New Orleans, La; St. Louis, Mo; Philadelphia, Pa; Seattle, Wash; Milwaukee, Wis. This organization also stresses the importance of a simultaneous access to stable jobs and adequate social services. The graph presents a visual representation of how the coordinated efforts have the most benefits in the long-term.

·       The previously mentioned organization Real Change has a unique approach to employing the homeless with their bi-weekly newsletter.  This is written by and sold by homeless people.  The vendors consist of homeless people who receive approximately $.70 of the $1.00 price of the newspapers they sell.  This paper not only promotes awareness within the community about homelessness, but also gives the homeless an opportunity to integrate with fellow community members.  However, this approach is not without it’s flaws.  There is a hesitation on the part of citizens to purchase the paper from homeless people because of fear or lack of desire to converse with the homeless.  This issue could be addressed with volunteers outside of the homeless community also selling the papers in order to raise popularity and awareness of the paper, potentially eliminating the stigma attached to the publication.

[i] Central Area Motivation Program or CAMP assists unemployed and underemployed low-income Seattle residents to obtain and maintain permanent livable-wage jobs.  Since suitable employment is often the first step towards self-sufficiency, the program recognizes and addresses barriers to finding and retaining employment. Camp partners with Seattle Jobs Initiative assisting the unemployed and underemployed low-income Seattle residents to obtain and maintain permanent livable-wage jobs.  Since employment is often the first step towards self-sufficiency, the program recognizes and addresses barriers to finding and retaining employment.

[ii] The Jobs Initiative was launched in 1995, the Annie E. Casey Foundation Jobs Initiative program provides funding and support for community-based initiatives in five cities in order to help young, low-income workers find meaningful jobs and to identify national employment and training models. Jobs projects are being launched in fields such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and tele-services