ERROR MSG We see them everyday. The transient person on the street corner holding up the sign.
"Get a Job ya BUM!". You've heard it. You may have even said it yourself. Many people take this subject too lightly. They even make jokes about it.
But have you ever stopped to think what it takes to get a job?
First, it takes job skills of some kind. Then a job application, or resume. On that you have to put your address and phone number so that your potential employer can contact you. Then there's the official documents - birth certificate, drivers license, social security card, green card, etc. Sometimes these documents are lost, stolen, sometimes even taken from them by the authorities that should be helping and protecting them.
So what is the address of the guy on the corner? "The homeless lady on the corner of 35th and Elm?" How about a phone number?. Perhaps YOU would be willing to give your cell phone to the guy on the corner for a week or two.
"But the shelter he stays at has an address and a phone." Nice thought, but most shelters don't hold mail for the people who, because of the way the shelters do business, can only stay there one night. You see, that is the definition of a TEMPORARY or Emergency shelter. They have to pack their bags and leave every morning. The shelter would lose their Federal or State funding if they allowed people to "live" there, which is based on their being an emergency shelter for temporary emergency housing. Many of them don't have enough beds for the amount of clients that walk in looking for a place to sleep. And they make you take your stuff out with you in the morning. Ever try going for a job interview while holding on to all your worldly possessions?
If you don't live there, you don't get your mail there. Some places allow them to stay for 3 days, or even a week. They certainly can't sit around waiting for the phone to ring all day long. The workers at the shelter are not there to take messages for a bunch of homeless bums. Besides, have you ever landed a decent job less than a week after you applied. Most people don't.
Then there is the other part of the story. Keeping the job. One of our program members was told that if they didn't have a permanent residence ( a place to live and get mail, etc ) within 2 weeks of their employment date, that they would be fired. While most reputable companies don't want to be known for having homeless people on the payroll, it does put a lot of undue stress on the homeless person.
discount hotels in Spa Homeless people sometimes can't keep a job because of a lack of social skills. One waitress had worked for 9 different companies within a year. Does this mean that she didn't want a job - no, or she wouldn't have looked for work to begin with. The problem is that become who you hang around with, and she had not been around the nicest of crowds. She was difficult to get along with, and nobody wanted to work with her. She was bickering with her fellow employees, her customers, and her boss. She would either quit, or get fired, because she just couldn't get along with people. So she needed help with her people skills. This was her particular problem. A problem Steps Up is committed to helping with.
ERROR MSG People become homeless because they can't afford a home. They can't afford a home because they can't keep a job. They can't keep a job because they have a lack of job skills, or a lack of social skills. Steps up is not dedicated to being a temporary emergency housing and food kitchen organization. We are dedicated to teaching the social and job skills necessary for reintegration into society.
That's where STEPS UP - - steps in.
We have assembled a team of counsellors, instructors, and motivational speakers, as well as a tried and tested curriculum which is specifically designed to give self confidence, hope, and job and social skills necessary in order to cope in a normal society.
The coursework we use is no secret. It's the same books you buy at starbucks just before a promotion, job interview or to help you improve your sales. They are motivational books with a proven track record of success. The same organizational skills that make a good manager, also make a good employee. The same personal skills that make a great salesman make a good person.
And to bring it all together, we have found that ALL these books have one thing in common. Strangly enough - the principles of leadership, organizational skills, and social ettiquate discussed in these books are also Biblical principles. So our program also allows for, and even encourages spiritual growth.
We don't just focus on the physical - the feeding and sheltering, but also on the mental, emotional, and spiritual healing that must take place before real change can come about.
If you are interested in helping, in any capacity, please contact us. We are a Federal and State recognized non profit organization.
stepsup@stepsup.org
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