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How housing and employment support build pathways out of poverty

By Uplift NorthwestProduced by ST Content Studio

Josh was thrown out of his home at age 17, with no place to go and no family or friends for support. He wound up living on the streets, using drugs and committing petty crimes for nearly three decades. “I was bouncing around the country, lost,” Josh says. “Just surviving on the streets is a job in itself.”

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority estimates that 16,000-plus people are currently experiencing homelessness in King County — up 23% from 2022. Many, like Josh, find themselves between the rock and hard place of homelessness and unemployment. “It’s not really a place to get your life together. You need a stable base,” says Josh.

Josh found that stability in 2020 when he discovered Uplift Northwest (formerly known as the Millionair Club Charity). This Seattle-based non-profit provides employment and job-readiness services as well as housing stabilization services to support people on their path to self-sufficiency.

Building community support

One way to create pathways out of poverty lies in creating community partnerships, according to Zak Fairbrook, Uplift Northwest case manager. “When our employer partners hire a worker, they are actively participating in a person’s redemption story,” says Fairbrook. “This helps create an environment for folks to succeed.”

Whether it’s the Low-Income Housing Institute hiring a front desk receptionist at a tiny home village, or First & Goal Hospitality/ LEVY hiring a larger group of participants to work at Lumen Field as cashiers, cooks and dishwashers, or on a litter or graffiti abatement crew, these opportunities are well-suited for someone reintegrating back into the workforce in part because prior training and certification program support can be provided.

Uplift Northwest operates several partnership programs where they provide case management for their workers and training participants and help them remove barriers while they are actively employed. Hygiene shower trailers are operated around the city in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities. A Graffiti Abatement Program is in partnership with the Mayor’s One Seattle Graffiti Plan. “Since we manage these projects, we have more flexibility if people need extra support to overcome any initial struggles like attendance or soft-skills issues,” Fairbrook says. Essentially these jobs act as a springboard to future, more long-term employment and further training opportunities.

(Uplift Northwest)

Housing and employment work in tandem for success

Permanent housing and employment are interdependent factors that work in tandem to create opportunities for individuals living in poverty and homelessness. “Many individuals we serve struggle to prioritize their job search or maintain steady employment due to the stress associated with uncertain housing,” says Ivy Locke, Uplift Northwest’s program and housing coordinator. “Reliable housing can provide individuals with a foundational sense of safety and constancy, serving as an incubator for pursuing, maintaining and achieving their career goals.”

Ongoing support is also a key component of nurturing success. If, for example, someone were to obtain permanent employment on their own and then later lose that job due to a lack of job-readiness skills, receiving assistance with addressing the barriers to permanent employment, and preparing them for what’s next would make all the difference. “Once we assist with placement into a Housing Connector property, we assign the participant a case manager,” Locke says. “We offer support for two years through mediation services, renting education, access to resources and general case management. We are with them every step of the way.” The Uplift Northwest worker or training participant is receiving income through the process which provides a sense of dignity and hope for the future.

Josh is just one success story for creating a pathway out of poverty. He has now been sober and employed for more than a decade. “They put me to work on the first day that I joined. They gave me a locker to put my stuff in, let me do laundry. Then about a year later, I began living at the residence they run. I felt like this was someplace I belong. They gave me a purpose and got me off the streets.”

Uplift Northwest provides dignified jobs and job-readiness services to individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness in the Puget Sound Region. Our time-tested staffing operation provides motivated workers to hundreds of employers across a wide variety of industries.

Uplift Northwest.
Impact

How housing and employment support build pathways out of poverty

Josh was thrown out of his home at age 17, with no place to go and no family or friends for support. He wound up living on the streets, using drugs and committing petty crimes for nearly three decades. “I was bouncing around the country, lost,” Josh says. “Just surviving on the streets is a job in itself.”

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“Programs that neglect emotional intelligence or collaboration skills, for instance, often leave participants unprepared for workplace dynamics,” says Lisa Sato, employment case manager at Uplift Northwest. (Uplift Northwest)

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