Help keep homeless individuals hydrated this summer. Please contact St. Joseph the Worker at info@sjwjobs.org or 602-417-9854 if you would like to donate bottled water or host a water drive.
|
7/12/10 Now available to download - St. Joseph the Worker's 5/18/09
4/21/10 Jobing.com blogs about St. Joseph the Worker 3/19/09 St. Joseph the Worker in front page article (The Catholic Sun). 11/20/08 Local Response to Increase in Homelessness (Catholic Sun) 6/18/08 St. Joseph the Worker wins award for work in jail Archived St. Joseph the Worker Newsletters |
4/29/11 Feast of St. Joseph the Worker presentation and tour of facility 3/12/11 feeney/winthrop Benefit Concert 3/5/11 13th Annual Hike for the Homeless 5/1/10 Feast of St. Joseph the Worker 5/1/10 3/27/10 feeney/winthrop Benefit Concert 3/6/10 12th Annual Hike for the Homeless St. Joseph Past Hikes for the Homeless
|
Amy Caffarello
Where is Amy? She's traveling the country from May 1 to June 16, 2010 visiting other agencies and taking part in classes and bringing all of that information and experience back to St. Joseph the Worker in order to improve the organization.
To hear directly from Amy about her sabbatical travels and experiences, please visit Amy's blog.
Here's a glimpse of her activities during these 6 weeks:
SJW Staff Visits Chrysalis
On May 11, Amy and Nina (SJW's Program Manager) visited Homeboy Industries. "Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job" and "Jobs not Jail" are the slogans of this organization dedicated to helping former gang members reenter society through job training, placement and education. Homeboy Industries operates several business lines through which they employ and train clients including a bakery, café, silk-screen and auto mechanic shops. Amy and Nina also visited the three largest shelters on Skid Row: Midnight Mission, L.A. Mission and Union Rescue Mission.
Later in May: Portland, Oregon - Central City Concern. Their mission is to provide pathways to self-sufficiency through active intervention in poverty and homelessness. They operate a variety of programs including supportive housing, medical respite and employment - including an Employment Access Center (similar to SJW) and a Business Enterprise, through which they employ and train workers. While in Portland, Amy will visit other programs such as the Downtown Chapel, which provides many services to homeless individuals including some employment support. As a note of interest, one of St. Joseph the Worker's early founders attempted to start a St. Joseph the Worker in Portland. It did not take off but the Downtown Chapel is doing some of the intended work.
June 1 - 3: Cambridge, Massachusetts - Harvard Business School, Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations: a three-day course that explores the impact of measurement on resource allocation, organizational learning, internal processes, and internal and external accountability. A big emphasis of this program is the learning and sharing with other nonprofit leaders from around the world.
While on the east coast Amy will do more site visits to programs including The Doe Fund in New York City and their "Ready Willing and Able" employment program. Their motto is "Work Works" and they share many of St. Joseph the Worker's program philosophies. Through job development and social enterprise, the Doe Fund helps homeless and previously incarcerated individuals regain the workforce.
June 16, 2010: Amy will return to Phoenix the second week of June and back to work at St. Joseph the Worker on June 16th!
Check back for updates on Amy's travels!
Please visit Piper Fellow Program for more information.
St. Joseph the Worker Wins Award for Work in Jail
St. Joseph the Worker is thrilled to announce that our program in the County Jail (WIRC) has been chosen as the winner of Channel 8's Be More Awards, in the category of "Be More... Knowledgeable." Over 100 non-profits were considered in 8 categories. St. Joseph the Worker was featured in a prime-time half-hour television special on Channel 8 on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Click below to see St. Joseph the Worker receive the award.
A special part of St. Joseph the Worker is our targeted outreach services to the incarcerated. As the public has recently learned from the Pew Center for the States study, incarceration rates have reached an all-time high. Pew noted these staggering statistics:*
- 1 in 100 adults are incarcerated in the United States, the highest rate in the world
- Spending on corrections topped $49 billion in 2007, up from $12 billion twenty years ago
- The highest rate by demographic is Black men ages 20-34, who are incarcerated at a rate of 1 in 9
- There are over 2.3 million Americans behind bars, up from closer to 500,000 twenty years ago. We're incarcerating more people than China.
What St. Joseph the Worker is doing locally
Through a collaboration with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, St. Joseph the Worker visits Maricopa County jails on a weekly basis to provide soon-to-be-released inmates with strategies and information on how to effectively find and maintain employment, including explaining a criminal history or large gap in employment. The agency also shares information on useful community resources individuals can access upon being released. This helps inmates move in the direction of self-sufficiency and supports their courage and determination not to return to jail.
A word from St. Joseph the Worker's Executive Director
"People often take for granted the basic resources needed to find a job, such as a telephone, address, computer, clothing, tools and transportation. In addition to providing these types of tangible items, St. Joseph the Worker offers individuals the encouragement and consistent support needed to overcome the special challenge of securing employment with a criminal background.
"It is St. Joseph the Worker's experience that providing basic essentials, resources and strategies to previously incarcerated individuals will allow them to gain self-sufficiency and avoid reentering the correctional system. It benefits both the individuals and the community."
St. Joe the Worker, Executive Director, Amy Caffarello
What can I do?
Awareness is the first step in addressing any problem, so you're on your way! Here are a few more ideas of ways to help St. Joseph the Worker continue to do this work:
- Learn more.
Click here to read the full Pew Report. - Volunteer your time. Click here for more information on volunteer opportunities.
- Donate to St. Joseph the Worker by clicking below. We are 100% privately funded, depending on community support to continue serving those in need.
*Statistics from the Pew Center on the States.
Click here to read the full Pew Report.
What is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker?
It is a day to reflect on how we use the gifts and talents we have been given to strengthen our community and society as a whole. Every act we do at work, no matter how small, is meaningful when we put our best effort into the task. This is also a time to remember our responsibility to protect the dignity of all workers.Every worker has a right to fair employment, a livable wage, a safe workplace free from discrimination, affordable health care, a secure retirement and other social benefits that uphold human dignity. All workers also have the right to organize and bargain collectively to protect these rights.
For more information on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, visit: www.peacebuildersinitiative.org.
To make a donation in honor of the day, please click below:
What is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker?
It is a day to reflect on how we use the gifts and talents we have been given to strengthen our community and society as a whole. Every act we do at work, no matter how small, is meaningful when we put our best effort into the task. This is also a time to remember our responsibility to protect the dignity of all workers.
Every worker has a right to fair employment, a livable wage, a safe workplace free from discrimination, affordable health care, a secure retirement and other social benefits that uphold human dignity. All workers also have the right to organize and bargain collectively to protect these rights.
For more information on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, visit: www.peacebuildersinitiative.org.
To make a donation in honor of the day, please click below:
