Learn to Earn

Many nonprofits are volunteer driven. For those who have the means to support themselves volunteering provides satisfaction. Some people have a deep desire to give back or make a difference in the world. It  allows others to showcase new skills to help them to transition to a new job. Whatever their motivation, volunteers are a great resource for nonprofits.

A way nonprofits can make a difference is to create a fast track for those with employment barriers to enter or reenter the workforce. There is a seemingly endless number of barriers to obtaining gainful employment. Let's examine a few.

Sally is a 26 year old single mother of a 14 month baby girl. She has no family support or transportation. Last year she and her baby were homeless, so they moved in with a man she did not know who offered shelter from the cold. After three weeks Sally learned he expected more in return than she wanted to give, so when he was at work she packed her small bag, and walked into local church to ask for help. All they could offer was a cup of coffee, a listening ear and access to a telephone and a phone book. She called 6 nonprofits looking for housing. None had an opening. In her desperation she decided to panhandle and was able to get enough cash together to get into a motel for 2 nights. Her cardboard sign read "Need money for motel." The second line read "DESPERATE!" After three months on a waiting list she and her baby got into a program to help her obtain housing. In the interim she learned to solve problems by panhandling, couch surfing, and sleeping a few nights with her baby in a public restroom. They got by but had to keep moving around. Sally rarely knew if she would be able to provide a safe place for her baby. She worried authorities would take her away if they knew she was homeless.

Sally's story is not unique. Some variation of it is replayed every day in Portland.
What if instead the church asked Sally, "what do you need to overcome homelessness"? The obvious answer is "money". The next logical question is "what are your options for obtaining money?

Rather than pointing Sally to another resource, let her learn to earn. The first objective is to find out what Sally knows how to do. If she is willing, the church or any nonprofit could allow Sally to show what she can do by performing any tasks she can such as folding bulletins, decorating a bulletin board, collating materials, or decorating tables for a special event. This allows for an assessment of Sally's skills, her willingness and demeanor. It also allows for observation about how she interacts with her baby and prioritizes her assignments. After they got acquainted better they learned that Sally had left the baby's father with $4.30 in her pockets due to abuse. She didn't have much of a plan, but knew she couldn't stay there.

Early in the game, draw on a pool of emergency financial resources provided by small businesses and nonprofits to reserve  a motel room. This might be accomplished with a voucher. Provide a sack lunch and no cook breakfast items. Give two sets of bus tickets, one to get to the motel and the other to return to work the next day. Upon arrival on day two, provide Sally with a letter of recommendation.

Small businesses and nonprofits have the opportunity to work together instead of competitively to help people like Sally. The idea is to identify available temporary work assignments within a network of small businesses and nonprofits and after a brief assessment to refer those who need work to fill brief assignments. If the person is unable to perform the work, rather than firing her, reassign her to another position within the network. There are many unskilled or semi-skilled tasks a candidate could perform. Instead of mundane labor such as sweeping or weeding, provide jobs that document or build transferrable skills such as 1. talk with teenagers about relationship hazards and how to avoid them 2. be a companion to a senior is a group setting 3. help plan or decorate for an upcoming event. 4. assist with setup of sound equipment. In a small business setting  options might include helping with a direct mail campaign or light assembly work.

If casual converations with Sally had revealed serious underlying problems or if observations were she is unwilling to accept direction, a more appropriate offer would be pre-vocational training. It wouldn't solve her immediate housing needs, but through a solid relationship she might be referred to social activities where she and her baby could come regularly as part of an neighborhood safety net. Trusted relationship may in time pave the way for improvement of life choices. The goal is to help those who are willing to find their way back and beome more resilient.