Friday, August 12, 2016

Finding work without an impressive resume, or any resume? Could be the hand up for homeless people.

Yes, a good idea. The program called "There's a Better Way."

This Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working.
Washington Post.

Employ the homeless. Instead of asking the homeless to go out looking for work when many of them have spotty resumes and feel dispirited, the city could bring the work to them.

Good idea from (somewhat surprisingly to me) a Republican mayor. Mayor Richard Berry of Albuquerque, NM has a way of resolving a big problem. The problem of trying to get a job when one's resume isn't impressive and maybe one hasn't even taken a bath for a while. Working isn't necessarily that hard. What's hard is the process of finding a job. We ask folks who are down in the dumps to sell themselves in a competitive job market. Why can't we just bypass that process and give them a job? Go to work without having to navigate the difficult "job finding application, interview and selling ones self" process. This program provides jobs for the homeless. Shovel ready, so to speak. Helps them get a start working. Seems like a good idea that could be replicated in other cities.

I've thought of a similar idea that I would call "sheltered workshop." It's like a job for everyone. A place that can employ people who are on the margins of the job market. Help them get acclimated to working and also add things to their resume. Work around disabilities and so forth.

Why hasn't it worked before? It does take funding to create the jobs. The program in Albuquerque has a limited number of jobs available. There are hopes to expand it. Make it available to more people.

Also, of course, it helps to have affordable housing in the area. In some cities, the housing is getting so expensive that lots of people remain homeless even when they have a job.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I am arriving in Bellingham in 2 hours.. I'll be "homeless" and camping with my service dog. I have an online job I can start as soon as i get computer access.. I've found a friendly church to visit.. Left an abuser starting over.. It is me, my service dog, and camping gear.. If you know of anywhere I can work for food till I get my first check, you would be my angel... I look forward to finding the lgbt community and making new friends.. Thank you, and love the thought out into your blog!!!

Theslowlane Robert Ashworth said...

Good to hear from you. I just found this now. Haven't looked at the comments for a while.