28. Volunteer Job Training
Bill Hodges, a Days Inn motel chain executive, became aquainted with homeless people at the Atlanta shelter where he volunteered. Feeling that the homeless could be trained as reservation clerks, he convinced Day's Inn's CEO, Michael Leven, to visit the Atlanta shelter.
"When you get into a shelter and take a look at the homeless," said Leven, "(you realize that) they aren't dirty or falling off their feet drunk. They're everyday people who are down on their luck."
Leven was so impressed that he established a special program where the homeless receive social security cards and one-on one computer training. Housing is provided at a local motel at $20 per day, with the company paying half. The clerks earn $5.50 an hour, receive health benefits, and have promotion opportunities. Since the program began, twenty people have maintained their positions, only a few have dropped out, and the turnover rate is less that that of other workers for Days Inn.
List of all 54 Ways
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54 Ways You Can Help The Homeless - Overview