Volunteers of America Texas (VOATX) in Houston is one of more than 40 community-based partners nationwide using LISC’s Bridges to Career Opportunities model. LaSonya Bishop, VOATX’s Regional Director of Workforce, explores what it takes to help unemployed and underemployed people build their skills and find good-paying jobs – a task that is more challenging than ever with the pandemic. She does so through the lens of a Houston resident named Tamara, who overcame addiction and homelessness to graduate from a VOATX training program and get a job as a phlebotomist, which she has maintained since Covid-19 hit our shores. This is just one of many success stories catalyzed by LISC’s partnership with the Citi Foundation.
Every person has the potential to secure a good-paying job and a safe, affordable place to live. Some just need a little more help than others to realize that potential, especially now as so many people struggle with the economic fallout and emotional and public toll of the Covid-19 pandemic. We see this every day at Volunteers of America Texas (VOATX). One of our clients, Tamara, has a story that shows how an integrated set of services – combined with a lot of tenacity and hard work – can help even those who have lost all hope chart a course to a better life.
Not long ago, Tamara was living a precarious—and sometimes dangerous—life alone, on and off the streets of Houston. The story of how she got there could belong to anyone. A few years ago, Tamara underwent surgery to remove a tumor and was prescribed pain medication during her recovery. She developed an addiction to the pills and quickly spiraled, seeking out any way possible to obtain more pills. She fell into a deep depression which, combined with her addiction, left her unable to work. As her behavior became more erratic, Tamara’s marriage to her high school sweetheart fell apart. She left home and lost contact with her husband and their two children. Without a job, and cut off from her immediate family, she became homeless—and shuffled between a shelter and the homes of relatives in order to sleep indoors a few days a week.
But Tamara summoned the means to pull herself out of the cycle of despair and addiction. While staying in a shelter, she managed to kick her drug habit. There, she also learned about my organization, VOATX, which offers career training, financial guidance, and other supports to help people like Tamara get back on their feet. Tamara decided to visit our office, and we are so glad she did.
Thanks to support from the Citi Foundation through LISC, VOATX recently began offering a Bridges to Career Opportunities program (Bridges). Bridges operates on the premise that training people who are unemployed or underemployed for careers in local, in-demand industries like health care is key to building stability. But it only works if you first identify potential impediments to success, and give clients the support they need to overcome those challenges.
During her first visit to VOATX, Tamara did an intake assessment to determine which support services might provide some immediate relief, as well as the foundation she needed to succeed in a career-training program. Based on the assessment, we matched Tamara with an income support specialist who helped her get the health care she needed.
Next, she met with an employment coach, who enrolled her in a phlebotomy training program after learning Tamara had experience working in nursing homes and wanted to return to patient care. Tamara completed the training in eight weeks and got her license. A month later, with the help of VOATX staff who arranged interviews and helped her prepare, Tamara landed a phlebotomist position earning $13 per hour.
Like so many of our clients, Tamara was starting from scratch and needed ongoing support and a stable base to be successful in her new job. We helped her find housing and open a savings account to begin putting away money to buy a car. With an affordable place to live, a good job, and car ownership in sight, Tamara’s confidence level skyrocketed. She reconnected with her ex-husband and they now have a good co-parenting relationship. Inspired to take the next step in her career journey, she enrolled in a training program to become a patient care technician, which pays two dollars more per hour than she currently earns. (The program is now on hold due to Covid-19, but Tamara is hoping to begin training in the fall.)
“Without the support of this program, I would not have the tools and skills to keep on trying, even when I want to quit,” Tamara says. “I am stronger and confident now.”
The wholesale upheaval brought on by the pandemic has definitely required Tamara to draw on that strength and confidence. The health clinic where she works has remained open throughout the pandemic, so her paycheck is stable, but Tamara has felt a lot of anxiety about potential exposure to the virus in the workplace. She has curtailed the amount of time she spends with her children to protect them from possible transmission. She has also talked to her coaches at VOATX about the anxiety she’s experiencing. Like many organizations, VOATX has pivoted its coaching to a virtual model during the pandemic to ensure clients like Tamara have a safe place to talk about their emotions. Our staff know this is critical to maintaining sobriety during difficult times.
We are so happy to see Tamara remain committed to her family, her career journey and her sobriety. We know it’s not easy in the best of times and there may be more ups and downs to come as the pandemic continues to run its course. VOATX will stick by Tamara to help navigate any setbacks – and opportunities – that come her way.
About the Author
LaSonya Bishop, Volunteers of America Texas
LaSonya is Regional Director of Workforce for Volunteers of America Texas (VOATX) in Houston. VOATX is a LISC Financial Opportunity Center partner.