Career Skills: Working for a Better Life
Did you know that 13% of today’s homeless population goes to work every day? They punch a timecard. They pay their taxes. They just can’t afford a place to live.
In every state—Texas included—more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.1 In fact, a minimum-wage worker would have to work 89 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30 percent of his or her income.
This is why UGM-TC invests staff and resources in helping men and women develop marketable job skills that can help raise their income levels, and allow them to provide a secure place to live for themselves and their families.
WORK READINESS
UGM-TC’s Work Readiness Program provides men and women residing in our facilities with the opportunity to gain employment skills, while receiving intensive case management services to work through barriers that limit their ability to secure and maintain gainful employment.
UGM-TC also works alongside these two outstanding programs:
Visions Unlimited
This collaboration between UGM-TC, Tarrant County College, and Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County provides homeless individuals with an opportunity to further their education. Timely assessment and other tools help enable residents to make informed decisions regarding their training and career goals.
PROJECT WISH
Project Wish provides employment workshops on-site to assist residents in overcoming employment barriers, and become familiar with services provided at the Workforce Center.
When asked to identify the three main causes of hunger in their city, 83% of cities cited poverty, 74% cited unemployment, and 57% cited the high cost of housing. (U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008).
1 National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2001.
