I know this is really a stupid Idea but...

[eggbeater]

My nephew has a small company that does a little of this and that, (cant really go into it without advertising, so, I wont.)
anyway, I was talking to him on the phone the other day and I asked him if he had ever considered hiring some of those homeless people to work for him on the jobs that he could get away with it.
He said that because of insurance and bonding, it would be very hard to bring someone like that on, yet, he felt that it would be an incredible boost for many of those that just need a small shove to get back on track.

Anyway, our discussion progressed to a point of his wondering how it would work out if he were to get the city to donate some space to actually take these homeless people in, get them cleaned up and dressed nice, and then teach them to either paint, or landscape etc...
He said that he would even be willing to donate time to the project to see if it could work.

After training these people to do a specific job, and having them cleaned up, my nephew seemed to think that it might be fairly easy to find them positions with companies willing to give them a chance.

He went on to say that in exchange for the space for these people to live and learn in, maybe they could provide services for the city in exchange for their food and lodging and clothing, along with a small paycheck each week.

He really wants to help these people get back into a life that they deserve, but the reality is that there are obstacles with doing it through his business that he can not overcome.

what do you all think about trying to get something like this set up? would it work? would the city leaders even listen.

He did say that he was going to wait until after the the newly elected officials take office, then try to talk to them to see if something could be tried.

any thoughts? any ideas of how to make this work?
there are so many people out there that only need the smallest push to become self sufficient.

[noamnety]

1. This might be a good model to look at

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10055262/

A little more ambitious maybe than what you're thinking, but if you need to do presentations to city leaders, it would be good to show examples of this sort of thing in action.

[Bitwit1234]

2. And in the Cities

With all the boarded up abandoned buildings, why not start the old time boarding houses. I have often thought of that. Give a person a homestead option on one of the big old houses, have them fix it up with help from the city/town and take in boarders.

Remember on the old movies where the people had a room and a big communal dining area downstairs. Til the got on their feet some of these places could get a grant for expenses. After all look at all the pork the congress send home.

[speedoo]

3. It's a wonderful idea.

It's hard to address your questions without knowing some specifics, and certainly there are obstacles.

But I want you to know that I'd like to help if I can, and I'm sure many other folks here would like to help as well.

I'm bookmarking this so I can stay in touch and see what others have to say.

Also recommending it for the greatest page to see if we can get more attention.

[Cleita]

10. I'm kinda wondering about this before I

dive in all enthusiastically.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=5865471

[Cleita]

11. My bad.

I'm wrong.

[SoCalDem]

4. he might want to watch this or even contact this guy..

John Rosenthal.. his shelter has 100 % "graduation"..with full time jobs

Posted by SoCalDem on Tue Mar-14-06 11:25 PM

http://www.boomerstv.com/episodes_episode.php?epid=35

He charges them "rent" for a semi private space,"hires" them, trains them, and at the end of their year or 2 years, they "graduate"...and he gives them back their "rent" in a lump sum..

A great example of what one businessman with a conscience can accomplish

This is a fantastic series..look for it on your PBS schedule..

...............................................................


Doing Good and Doing Well

To some, John Rosenthal presents a walking oxymoron: a successful real estate developer who is also an environmentalist, a gun owner who champions gun control, an undisputed successful capitalist and deeply committed social activist.

Believing that there is no problem that business people can't solve when they put their minds to it, John Rosenthal is all about using whatever leverage his business success provides to address the social concerns closest to his heart: gun control and the homeless.

In the clips below, John recalls some events in his early life that led to his political activism and discusses the relationship between rights and responsibilities. Also, he issues a challenge to his fellow Boomers.

Then, listen as John discusses how business leaders can leverage their influence to assist those in need.

http://www.boomerstv.com/episodes_video.php?lid=315
http://www.boomerstv.com/episodes_video.php?lid=316

.........................................

[Ian David]

5. Another way is to work through a temporary employment agency like LaborReady

I'm not a big fan of Labor Ready, but hiring through them would have several advantages:

1) It may be their insurance, not yours, that pays if something goes terribly wrong.
2) They handle all the payroll issues. In fact, they pay cash per day for work.
3) They can supply things like steel-toed boots and also provide transportation.
4) I believe they do some pre-employment screening and possibly drug testing (some may thing that's a good thing).

On the other hand, they do take a sizable cut of the money you would normally pay directly to the workers.

For example, LaborReady hires the people who occasionally hand-out free copies of The Metro newspaper. Those guys make $10/hour, and LaborReady charges The Metro $14/hour per worker. (Those were the numbers back in 2002, when I looked into it).

You could seek-out the homeless people, and tell them to sign-up at LaborReady, and then ask for work with your company. Make sure LaborReady knows that you'll be specifically asking for those people by name, and that they're okay with it.

There may also be other private or public companies that do the same sort of thing. I'm just mentioning LaborReady, because I once helped someone get a job their, so I'm a little familiar with it.

[GOPBasher]

6. You call that a "stupid idea"?

If that's a stupid idea, I hope more of our leaders start coming up with "stupid ideas" like that one.

[ChazII]

14. I second

this statement. I wish your nephew much success in his endevor.

[enough already]

7. It's not a stupid idea at all, however....

....I suspect municipal and trade unions will fight you tooth and nail over it.

[petgoat]

8. Exactly. A pool of city jobs that could be "charity jobs" for

people that need them have instead been given over to entrenched interests:
unionized municipal employees and selected (campaign contributing) outside
contractors.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Here's a program with a record of success doing what you thought about ....

Christopher's Place Employment Academy

This program is a part of the Baltimore Catholic Charities, but the model works and can be used by anyone ... from a private group to a municipality. I'm more than a little familiar with them, as they're a pro-bono client of mine.

Essentially, they provide a place to live, job skills, resume skills, 'business etiquette', grooming skills, etc., for at risk adult men.

There are some rules and a contract involved. The men agree to abide by the house rules, and to stay clean. In return, they get an intensive learning environment, that is fully in-house for the first part of the program, and then transitional housing as they work their way back into society.

They've enjoyed some real success.

[BlooInBloo]

12. It has always seemed to me that from a business-politico perspective...

... To allow capital to remain untapped for extended periods of time directly implies that one is not serious about good business.

[skyblue]

13. That's a nice Idea but alot of times they have PTSD and many other

psychological disorders from fighting in wars, etc. Many maybe homeless families which have left abusive relationships, etc.. You need to assess the psychological condition of the individual. I'm sure they want a job as does everyone else. But I think we need something of a Roosevelt New Deal in this country anyway. Think of all the wonderful projects that were built during the Democratic presidency of FDR!!! No wonder he got elected 3 times! Bringing so many people out of poverty! Creating a Social Security system that would assist so many people!! What an AMERICAN Idea!!!

[On the Road]

15. It is a Noble but Very Challenging Pursuit

The easiest part is finding work, finding money for salaries, and skills training. That is very doable. Managing the workforce is the challenge.

Having hired a number of economically marginal people to do renovation work, the majority are not ideal employees. Many people in these situations have skills already -- they can often do carpentry, roofing, plumbing, and similar building skills. What they lack -- and often the reason they are in a bad economic situation -- is lack self-discipline, persistence, honesty, and pride in their work. Many have alcohol or drug problems which exacerbate these tendencies.

A lot of effort will be spent on the most basic things: making sure people show up on time, making sure they have transportation, contacting those who don't have phones, purchasing tools and materials and making sure these don't disappear. Payment schedules are very important -- they may want to be paid daily and may ask for advances, which are usually not advisable.

If you can recruit a line supervisor who knows the culture and can do all these things, that is probably the key to success.

This is a really good project. It can help people's lives. Having spent the last three years wrestling with some of these same issues, I just wanted to share my experience. PM me if you'd like to talk more. Good luck.

[Nobody]

16. What a wonderful idea!

Your nephew counts among the truly good people of the world. He doesn't pass by an opportunity to help alleviate misery in the world, he does something about it.

Good luck to him. I have no expertise to offer advice, only admiration.