Four times per year, another group of people who were homeless not long ago become employed full-time, and not just in minimum wage jobs! I asked our Road to Success team, those that help prepare these men and women to become employed, to compile some statistics from 2018.

These numbers tell an exciting story of how much someone can accomplish to overcome their homelessness. Here are the numbers:

• Of those in the Road to Success program, 100% found full-time employment.
• The average wage earned was $16.41 per hour, with 41% of those receiving their highest starting wage in their work history.

And each of these numbers represents a person, or a family, that has broken free from homelessness, and has gained a new found ability to succeed. From the time a person moves into Village of Hope, they are placed in a volunteer work assignment. This gives them the opportunity to make a significant contribution to their program, and they have supervised coaching to gain important job skills. Also, if they do not have a high school diploma, they are enrolled in the education program to complete their high school education. In addition, many have the opportunity to enter into vocational training programs.

After many months of hard work and training, Road to Success is their time to focus on what it takes to get a job and be a good employee. One of the primary challenges for all participants is to develop the mindset of success. In addition to learning the practical skills for looking for work, participants are asked to make a commitment to think like successful people. This means they take ownership of their employment, they solve problems, they do not make excuses and they learn from their mistakes, and they are willing to be accountable to others to be sure that they stay on the road to success!

It is amazing to see people who have had so many barriers to overcome, to become excellent employees. For them, employment is the reward after many years of hardships, and many months of working hard to completely change their lives. These people are excited and grateful to have a job!

If you are a business owner, or a corporate recruiter, consider checking in with the Road to Success Manager, Carlos Robles, when you are looking to hire! Contact him at carlos.robles@rescuemission.org.