28. Volunteer Job Training
Since 1988, Binding Together (BTI) has trained several hundred homeless men
and women--each of whom has a history of substance abuse--to operate industrial
capacity copying and binding machines. The trainees are referred from
residential drug treatment centers and must be drug-free.
Funded in part by state and city agencies, BTI enlisted the support of
corporations, which donated equipment, provided representatives for BTI's board
and agreed to utilize BTI's copying services--and, most important, to hire its
graduates. In its first year, BTI grossed over $250,000.
You can help by volunteering time and/or making donations to such
organizations. Or suggest that your company set such a program in motion. If you
are a small business owner, consider training a homeless person yourself or
hiring graduates from programs such as BTI.
Real People
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54 Ways You Can Help
The Homeless - Overview