Workforce Development
As all good things go, our workforce development initiative began organically.
We offer every client of our thrift stores the opportunity to give back by volunteering. Because the quality of our interactions with clients are so dignified and loving, many do take us up on that invitation and return to become long-term volunteers. Unsurprisingly, as they volunteer their experience of belonging and purpose becomes catalytic for their own empowerment and self-sufficiency. Several years into noticing this effect, we decided to formalize it and be even more intentional in our development of our volunteers.
Thanks to the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative, from 2018 to 2021, we had the opportunity to pilot a model in partnership with several local agencies that put real feet to our workforce development initiative. TANF (the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program) began sending us work experience participants (WEP) regularly and the magic that we had witnessed before with our volunteers, began anew with our WEPs. In fact, we’ve been told that our program has the the highest rate of job placement post-participation.
We’re convinced that the experience of belonging that our team so lovingly provides is fundamental to this success. The CHH Development Commitments:
We are inclusive.
People from all walks of life participate in our program. We pride ourselves in the age and racial diversity, dual language offerings, and disability accommodations that we are able to provide. Whether recently incarcerated or simply searching for something new, we providing a welcoming environment where all participants can flourish.
We develop hard + soft skills.
We rotate participants through warehouse, delivery, registry, sorting and stocking, janitorial work, and office assistance so that they gain a broad range of experience. Once they’ve developed a preference, we let them specialize in that area.
But hard skills alone won’t do. We develop our participants soft skills through trainings like our proprietary Grit to Great program, conflict resolution, interviewing, and resume preparation. We also maintain relationships with local companies and help match our participants with their recruitment teams.
We work side-by-side.
We place people on work assignments together with peer leaders. We come alongside each other in mutuality that is reciprocal and we do not give up on each other. Conflict happens (a lot) - We work through it and come out better on the other side. We believe that we are better together and that it’s in our togetherness that the best of our transformation toward empowerment and self-sufficiency takes place.
Our partners for this important work include:
Chautauqua Works, Department of Social Services, RSVP, Probation, The Resource Center, Aspire, and Olmsted Center for Sight.
For eligibility info, please contact our office.