Homelessness is a massive problem in the US. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were about 553,000 homeless people in the United States on a given night in 2018.
Being homeless can also quickly become a vicious cycle, with numerous places of employment requiring people to have a permanent address and expecting employees to keep a level of cleanliness that may prove difficult.
But one non-profit in Austin, Texas, is hoping to prove that there are plenty of opportunities out there if give homeless people a chance.
They provide employment opportunities that do not require the barriers of normal employment, such as a permanent address.
Other Ones Foundation
They're also paid $15 an hour and are provided with lunch and transportation to the worksite.
Those that are provided with work are also offered free and voluntary case management services that aim to get people into permanent employment and housing.
OOF also provides a property called The Golden Road, where Austin's homeless population can access showers, food, laundry facilities, the Internet, and day sleep facilities.
Other Ones Foundation
In just under a year, OOF has paid out over $100,000 in earned income to people experiencing homelessness and poverty, and 24 of those who worked with the program have since moved into stable housing.
Austin City Council members seem to believe in the program, earmarking $720,000 for Family Eldercare Inc, which oversees OOF. That figure is over seven times the amount that the city provided when the program began as a pilot project in September 2018.
Other Ones Foundation
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