Sam had been homeless for at least two years in the Wichita area and came to GOALS as a referral from the Wichita HOT Team (Homeless Outreach Team). He came to Kansas following a friend and wanted to settle down here, but that relationship didn’t last and he didn’t have enough money to move back to Texas so he stayed. Having no stable structure and lacking resources he was unsuccessful this entire time securing employment. Unfortunately lack of transportation caused Sam to have specific guidelines for employment that made finding work that much more difficult. Sam has worked diligently with Dennis, his Kansas Certified Peer Mentor (KCPM) but still could not overcome his roadblocks to become employed. Utilizing multiple resources, Sam received assistance with creating a resume, obtaining housing, and he met people who held him accountable as well as encouraged him to remain positive while engaging with community partners.
He came to Janna, GOALS Career Navigator, for his first assessment on January 4, 2017. During Sam’s first assessment he stated that he had worked in the prison system in Texas years ago and also worked as a foreman on a farm in Texas where he was in charge of the animals and farm equipment. Sam was very organized, he maintained a list of companies where he had applied, he was persistent and always followed up on suggestions. There were a couple of times Sam thought he was hired, but then received the same story, “sorry, we have filled that position, or thanks for applying, we will be in touch with you soon”. Sam felt that he was running out of time and was becoming a little discouraged. Janna encouraged Sam to participate in a two-week training program at Martin Training Solutions where he would receive on the job training and learn new skills. Sam reported daily to his career navigator, each time stating that he went training, liked the people he was working with, and things appeared to be going well, but he was concerned as he needed to have some income. This feedback continued for the entire two weeks until Sam called he reported he was offered a position at Martin Training Solutions. Sam stated, “I am so grateful, this is the perfect place for me, I like the job and they like me”. Sam is embarking on a new chapter of life, he will receive retention services and he is happy.
This is what Dennis from KCPM said about Sam and the GOALS program, “I just wanted to let everyone know the good news that I got this morning. As of this morning Sam is a full-time employee of Martin Interconnect Services and he starts work today there on 2nd shift. Sam said that he really enjoys the work so he thinks it will be a great job for him with a low stress level. He got this job through the DCF GOALS program which seems to be a good program that is up and coming as a resource. I am SUPER HAPPY for Sam for it has been a challenge for him to find employment. Again thanks all your help!!”
The South Central GOALS team has worked very closely with the HOT Team to take referrals and work with the homeless population and Officer Nate Schwiethale who has been with the HOT team since its inception four years ago said this: I wanted to thank you for getting Sam into the GOALS program. He has gone about one to two years without work and you’re program is the first to get him back to work.”
The Wichita office is very blessed to have such great community partners and resources are also blessed to have such a great team of Career Navigators, including Janna. Our goal is employment, and we are very proud of Sam and the effort he put forth to gain a job that we hope will keep for some time to come.