- A Way to Work program partners the Parks Department with the Salvation Army
- Gives people experiencing homelessness a paycheck, job skills, and a path to full-time employment
- A recent graduate of the program is starting full-time work with the Omaha Parks Department on Monday
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A woodworking program at Omaha's Fontanelle Park is giving people experiencing homelessness a paycheck, job skills, and a path to full-time employment.
The program, called A Way to Work, is a partnership between the Omaha Parks Department and the Salvation Army. It started in 2019, modeled after similar programs in other cities.
Christopher Alt is a recent graduate of the program.
"I feel good about myself because I've gone through this," Alt said.
Workers in the program turn trees into future art projects for summer campers as part of their short-term employment. Josh Frey, the Parks and Facilities Manager, said the goal is to build lasting skills.
"We found it was a good way to teach people good job skills they can take out and use in their own lives. And it's been rolling ever since," Frey said.
The Salvation Army coordinates participant selection for the program.
"They're getting the support that they need and the resources that they're actually looking for," Christina Negrete, program coordinator for the Salvation Army, said.
Those resources include a paycheck. Alt is set to begin full-time work with Omaha's Parks Department on Monday.
"They really showed me hope. Not just for myself, but the other participants," Alt said.
The program currently has a waiting list of about 30 people. The Parks Department said it hopes to expand the program to a second location in Omaha.
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