Can you finish this: “Every time a bell rings ______.”
A classic Christmas movie will have one answer, students at the end of recess another and St. Joseph the Worker clients yet another. Since mid-August or so, every time a bell rings at the job service agency on Maricopa County’s Human Services Campus steps away from the state Capitol, that means a client secured employment.
That’s a huge step for anyone, especially St. Joseph the Worker clients. They’re largely homeless or facing other disadvantages compared to most job seekers. From Facebook:
When the bell rings at St. Joseph the Worker, the atmosphere explodes with joy because we know that a client has just secured employment and has taken a significant step toward ending his or her homelessness. This moment in time allows our staff to celebrate the clients’ success and share in their joy by providing them with a gift card, bus pass, and most important – gratitude for gaining employment.
Turns out the bell rang so often during the first week, that an Aug. 24 Facebook post reported that the bell broke (and was quickly fixed).
Today was another headline day at St. Joseph the Worker. By 10:30 a.m., the bell rang three times. By the end of the day (the office shuts down about 3:30 p.m.), the number jumped to eight, a record high. Five men and three women had verified employment and hire dates. They started jobs in retail, transportation and trade industries.
Success comes through hard work for St. Joseph the Worker clients. In the last fiscal year:
- 577 job placements were secured by homeless and low-income individuals
- $9.20 an hour was the average starting pay rate for these individuals
- 63% of the jobs secured offered benefits
If you know of any job openings, feel free to pass them along to St. Joseph the Worker: info@sjwjobs.org. Their qualified clients would be eternally grateful.
Update: Nov. 5
The client success bell rang twice in the first two hours that the office was open.
