Homelessness in Orange County is a front page issue.
According to the 2017 point in time count, there are almost 4,800 individuals experiencing
homeless in Orange County alone on any given night.
While the issues regarding homelessness are complex, one primary factor is joblessness.
Churches and other groups typically respond by giving food, temporary housing, clothing,
and the like.
But very few, just around 2%, help with job training or placement.
But what if we offered men and women the prospect of employment, jobs that could move them out
of tents and back into the social fabric of our community, find ourselves needing to provide
less food and shelter as more and more become self-reliant?
As I drive along the freeway and see all the homeless people there by Anaheim Stadium,
I was angry.
And I felt convicted about being angry.
To me, it was just a symbol of our society's failure to take care of all people.
But then I said, what would Jesus do?
He'd be down there with the homeless people, caring for their deepest needs.
In August, OC United launched a Jobs for Life program at the Orange County homeless
shelter called Bridges at Kramer Place, where we engage unemployed and underemployed men
and women in training, mentorship, and preparation for a lifetime of work.
The results are men and women whose dignity and self-worth are restored.
Hi, I'm Mike Carmine, and I am the Director of Jobs for Life through OC United here in
Southern California.
We're excited because homelessness and joblessness are huge issues in our communities today.
And we feel like we have found a way to help people not just survive for today, but to
survive for life by helping train them and prepare them for jobs that can take them from
now and for the rest of their lives.
So we're here at the Orange County homeless shelter called Bridges at Kramer Place, and
we have started tonight with an eight-week, 32-hour course that is called Jobs for Life
or Powered for Life.
And we have a group of students that we're going to walk through this.
They are paired with mentors or champions who are going to walk with them personally,
not just for the eight weeks, but for the next 12 months, encouraging them as they get
on their feet and get settled in their lives.
And then we also connect with the business community.
And we have men and women who are business owners who are willing to partner with us
to provide job opportunities and interviews for those who graduate from Jobs for Life.
Hi, my name is Brenda Dominguez.
I am here as a champion for Jobs for Life.
Everyone has a backstory to the reason why they are homeless, so it's really touching
to me hearing everybody and knowing that they are just like us.
That could be me.
I've been coming over here the last four weeks just starting to talk to people, and it's
just been really eye-opening to me to hear what they've been through and the uphill battle
that they're facing.
You know, we had a pastor who was very much, Jesus, what he does.
He's out in the community, he's with the poor, he's with the needy.
So as a mentor, I like the idea that we're going to walk with them after the course is
over.
And at the course is eight weeks.
It's two hours a week, it's a big commitment.
And then after those eight weeks, I think we're going to know who they are pretty well,
and we'll be able to say, we as an organization, I as an individual, vouch for this job candidate.
And we're going to be walking with them for the next year.
I want to be able to be a change, at least if we can touch one person.
I believe Jobs for Life sounds like a more impactful one-on-one connection with someone
else that you're able to make.
So I think it sounds like a very powerful idea.
I'm excited about what God's going to do.
So I'd encourage anyone, just like I did, just come down and hang out and just get an
idea and see if God is stirring your heart to work in this area.
We're looking for mentors, volunteers, businesses, and donors to unite in the efforts to serve
the most vulnerable in our community.
The answer is you.
