Since 1887, the Rescue Mission has provided hope and independence for people who have lost just about everything. Regardless of what brought them there, each person who crosses their threshold in downtown Syracuse is welcomed, accepted, comforted and challenged to begin a new life.
“Homelessness and poverty rob people of the hope, dignity and opportunity to realize their God-given potential,” said James Breslin, Regional Director of Program Development. “We strive to affirm everyone’s dignity, restore hope and get them as far as they can in life.”
In 2008, the Rescue Mission saw almost 1,200 individuals enter its homeless shelter. That, partnered with a long history of working with this hard-to-reach population to provide them with education and vocational services, put the organization in a strong and unique position to expand its work preparation services.
Having set the obtaining and maintaining of employment as one of the core objectives in the Onondaga County/Syracuse Homeless Task Force ten-year plan to end homelessness, staff at the Rescue Mission decided to expand the organization’s Employment Services by piloting a new program – Job Coaching. The Rescue Mission sought to increase employment opportunities for homeless individuals, increase job retention rates, enhance participants’ quality of life and help prevent a return to homelessness. In December 2008, the Community Foundation awarded a $30,000 grant to help launch the new pilot.
The Employment Services Team, including new Job Coach Malcolm Dawes, identified the most common barriers the chronically unemployed face. Some include problems adjusting to workplace environments, lack of interpersonal skills, difficulty solving problems and limited self-confidence and skills. They built the program to address those barriers, including the flexibility to address the unique needs of each person.
Malcolm invites men in the Mission’s emergency shelter who seem willing to put in the work needed to participate. With a high demand, he is often working with up to 25 men at one time. He offers each participant one-on-one counseling to help the men identify and work through their unique, personal barriers to success. He also conducts skill assessments and provides access to voicemail and email.
Ongoing life skill classes and counseling are provided along with the establishment of Care Plans that address educational deficits and access to permanent housing.
When a client secures employment, the Coach’s job is not done. Malcolm follows up with employers during participants’ first 90 days on the job and works alongside the newly employed to help them with challenges they encounter in their new work environment. Participants don’t just find jobs through this program – the individual attention also gives each participant the extra boost of self-confidence they need.
Malcolm also added a new element to the Rescue Mission’s job training program by actively recruiting and cultivating Employer Partners. These local business partners identify potential employees from the program’s roster and support those that they hire to help them succeed. Employers often find partnering with this program attractive because each employee that comes through the program has the crucial support they need to maximize their chance for success.
In its inaugural year, the Rescue Mission reports that the Job Coach pilot far exceeded all of its initial objectives. Ninety percent of the participants received job-readiness skills. Sixty-one participants obtained employment.
“We are so proud of the men who worked hard to make positive life changes,” said Carolyn Hendrickson, Rescue Mission Director of Donor Relations.
Beyond the statistics are the faces of the men whose lives have changed for the better. “Our results aren’t as much about a bunch of numbers in a report,” said Breslin. “It is about helping give a person the tools to transform their lives. Seeing men succeed in the program makes us want to work harder. It is contagious.”
The program will continue to grow and evolve over the next year. Since stable housing and related supports make a significant difference in a participant’s ability to successfully engage with an employer on a long-term basis, the Willing to Work program will expand this year with additional residence rooms to meet the high demand.
The Community Foundation’s grant helped cover costs associated with the job coach’s salary, participant transportation, background checks and the administration of the program.
“We are so glad the Community Foundation believed in us when we proposed this pilot,” said Hendrickson.“It really makes a difference.”
Jeff’s Story
When Jeff found himself homeless, he went to the Rescue Mission for a safe place to stay. He ended up with more life-changing support than he expected.
While living there as a resident, he signed up for the Willing to Work program, anxious to get his life back on track. In the program, Jeff routinely met with and learned from Malcolm, his Job Coach.
Malcolm worked one-on-one with Jeff to prepare his resume, set up a voicemail for employer calls and to practice his interview skills. Malcolm often went out of his way to help Jeff, more than once driving him to construction sites before dawn. After Jeff completed the Mission’s Maintenance Skills Track and honed his skills in automotive maintenance, Malcolm helped him secure a new position at Driver’s Village in Cicero.
“Malcolm and the others at the Rescue Mission believed in me and gave me a chance to do what I knew I could do all along,” said Jeff. “Malcolm has been a positive force in my life. He has reminded me that there really are good people out there who want to extend a hand to help people like me. It is a beautiful thing.”
The guidance he received has helped Jeff improve all aspects of his life. He reconnected with his son and supports himself with his own apartment and truck. He recently received his driver’s license for the first time, enjoying the freedom of self-sufficiency.
Working in the Driver’s Village’s detail shop for more than six months now, Jeff has established himself as a motivated, hard worker and has gained the respect and personal support of his coworkers and managers.
“Seeing Jeff able to pay his own bills is what this program is all about,” said Jim Shaffer, Jeff’s Supervisor at Driver’s Village. “The people at the Rescue Mission who have the passion and willingness to help these folks inspired me to want to do my own part to help him succeed.”
Jeff’s success has inspired other Rescue Mission residents to join the program and want to change their lives, too. “I have seen Jeff lead by example with other people in the program,” said Breslin. “If they don’t start off with the necessary skills, they want to work hard so that they can be like him.”
As he steps up to his new role as mentor and settles into his new routine, Jeff is taking nothing for granted. “I am living one day at a time, living life on life’s terms and life is good.”