Father Joe’s Villages reports a 38% increase in job training completions among individuals facing homelessness.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego’s Father Joe’s Villages has reported an increase in completions of its job training programs. The Gene Burkard Employment and Education Services is tailored to help people experiencing homelessness or facing housing insecurity re-enter the workforce.
“We’ve seen a significant increase about 38 percent increase in completion of our job training programs compared to last year,” Father Joe’s Villages Chief Client Services Officer Jesse Casement said. “And it’s not just in our retail training program, it’s in our training programs across the board. We believe what’s driving that is really just our clients feeling inspired and really motivated to go out there and get income so that they can quickly end their housing crisis.”
Father Joe’s Villages offers a variety of job training programs, including a new retail training course, a culinary arts program, maintenance and facilities mentor training, and a forklift training program. They also recently relaunched their “Restart Property Management” training program.
“Our employment and education services team is made up of instructors and also employment specialists, and their job is to connect with employers out in the community that are excited to hire people that are working with us at Father Joe’s Villages,” Casement said. “And so our employment specialists will build those relationships and are really working to connect the client with the right employer.”
As San Diego continues to grapple with homelessness, these job training programs play a vital role in helping individuals regain financial stability and secure housing.