In excess of the final pair of weeks, we’ve talked about navigation facilities for our homeless population, areas wherever people today can go to get solutions, a spot to rest and then ideally get set up for housing.
In this week’s Couch’s Corner, I desired to explore Recycling Life, which employs a various tactic to fixing our homeless problem — that of having men and women who are down and out paid out function practical experience so that they can get positions and then get their possess housing. For these who are ready to operate, this system tends to make the greatest feeling both fiscally and purposefully. It is the aged adage established legitimate: When you give a person a fish, he eats for a day. When you educate him to fish, he eats for daily life.
RL, you may possibly have listened to in advance of, is a task skills teaching method that pulverizes glass bottles and recycles them into sand and gravel products that can then be reused in a variety of approaches. Glass has generally been the toughest recyclable to recycle thanks to economics, but possessing a nearby solution assists resolve that challenge. Extra importantly, Recycling Life can take individuals who have been down and out and “recycles” them into nicely-trained, employable staff capable of getting placed all over the neighborhood labor industry.
RL has been in procedure now due to the fact previous summer, many thanks to a donation from the Lazzerini Foundation and some grant income they were able to receive. To date they have obtained 37 pupils. These learners are going through boundaries to prosperous work thanks to homelessness, incarcerations and very long-time period unemployment. Students vary from 21 many years of age to 69.
The course, also called a cohort, is 14 months extensive. When comprehensive, it contains certifications including forklift, tractor, CPR, hazardous products, confined place and primary function environment safety. Students also get rigorous instruction on prosperous get the job done behaviors such as integrity, initiative, punctuality, cooperation, poise, adaptability, reliability, loyalty, honesty and much more. All of all those soft expertise can so typically be determinants of a successful occupation.
At the moment, RL is in 7 days three of its fourth cohort. Of the 27 pupils in the initially 3 cohorts, 21 now have permanent positions. They are utilized in places this sort of as Johnson Screens, Cox Petroleum, Metropolis Auction Warehouse, Boys & Ladies Club, Jason’s Retreat, Costco, Stanford Trucking, County of Kern and extra. Each and every scholar leaves with an particular person improvement program, resume and job interview competencies. Immediately after they entire their education, RL team follows up with them and their new employer to make sure all is heading according to system.
These are the kinds of programs I really like to help, as these sorts of plans train self-sufficiency and give reason to these life that have not recognised objective. That is why I am so energized about this and other applications my District 4 personnel has been included in, such as making jobs working with Bakersfield Homeless Heart clients to pick up litter and now a host of other activities.
Just lately, we helped a food stuff financial institution get career abilities coaching funding and other grant funds to instruct the homeless in the Taft spot foods handling so that in Taft the homeless are actually feeding the hungry. I’m doing work with other communities in District 4 and Kern to make this a countywide initiative.
In reality, I imagine in this course so much that I am supporting my district director, Sal Moretti, as he transfers to Employer Schooling Resource, the department exactly where RL exists, so that he can much better assist ETR develop these styles of courses.
Sal, it’s been great functioning with you on District 4 and countywide issues these past 4 decades, and I search ahead to continuing our collaborations as you make this changeover into your new career. Superior luck!
Received any inquiries about this or any other District 4 matter, really do not be reluctant to call us at [email protected] or at 661-868-3680. Have a safe 7 days.
David Couch represents Kern County’s 4th District.
