The Homeless Alliance (dba Curbside Enterprises)

PROJECT PURPOSE

This project would fund a hub for social enterprise and supportive employment, expanding employment and job training opportunities for people with barriers to traditional employment, and creating a bridge from homelessness into housing and the mainstream workforce. Oklahoma City?s annual Point in Time survey found that the second leading cause of homelessness, behind the lack of affordable housing, is unemployment. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that problem, leaving more residents unable to pay for housing. Although Oklahoma?s unemployment rate has recently dropped, many individuals still face significant barriers to the mainstream workforce, such as lack of required documents (such as a valid State ID and SS card), lack of reliable transportation, criminal records, and physical and mental health challenges. The Homeless Alliance?s supportive employment programs address these issues and can help our community recover and build a stronger, more inclusive workforce. Our four employment programs are designed to work with all individuals, from selling our award-winning magazine into more traditional employment at our flower or screen-printing shops. Along the way, participants work with case managers to gain and maintain housing and work towards subsequent careers. The goal is to prepare them to meet Oklahoma?s workforce needs and achieve long-term financial self-sufficiency.

EVIDENCE

Launched in 2013, as a low-barrier employment program for people transitioning out of homelessness, the Curbside Chronicle has helped more than 300 individuals regain housing and has grown into a network of supportive employment programs called Curbside Enterprises. Together, these four programs provided more than 150 individuals with over 56,000 hours of supportive employment and job training in 2021 alone. Participants in employment programs are more likely to secure and maintain housing, see increased self-confidence and self-esteem, and are less likely to be arrested or hospitalized, not only generating income but also significantly reducing costs for local and state governments.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The Homeless Alliance works with individuals who are experiencing, at-risk of, and transitioning out of homelessness. The leading cause of homelessness in Oklahoma and across the U.S. as a whole is lack of affordable housing, followed by lack of income/employment. With the pandemic putting so many out of work, there was an increase in individuals losing housing as well as those needing financial assistance in order to maintain their housing. Those living paycheck to paycheck or with barriers to employment (such as lack of education or transportation, criminal records, or mental and physical illnesses) were hit particularly hard by the pandemic and had the fewest resources to adapt to the changing workforce. As businesses re-opened and unemployment dropped, the clients we serve were the least likely to get rehired due to these barriers. Although many job training programs exist, what makes Curbside Enterprises unique is that it provides not only training, but meaningful employment and income for vulnerable populations. By building a supportive employment hub, we can not only help these populations recover from the pandemic, but provide the employment experience, job skills, and personal resources needed to better weather future economic downturns.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The main performance points for this program will be individuals housed, hours of employment and training created, and individuals moved into subsequent employment. The Homeless Alliance has received government grants for many years and has systems in place to track spending and provide timely and accurate Project and Expenditure Reports. In fact, we oversee the Homeless Management Information System used by all homeless service providers receiving HUD funds throughout central Oklahoma. As with our existing housing programs, each individual entering our employment programs will take an initial baseline survey, with routine follow-ups to track improvement and areas for improvement.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma