CEO

C.E.O. stands for Center for Employment Opportunities. They are an employment organization spanning 12 states. Based on what I saw this morning, they have clearly perfected a system to pull motivated individuals out of homelessness. Just in Charlotte alone, they have moved hundreds of people this year off the street and into housing. These are people that Mecklenburg’s C.E. system would be unlikely to help because they are not “vulnerable.” They are able-bodied and able-minded people who for one reason or another have found themselves on the street. This includes people coming out of foster care or the criminal justice system. Here’s their Program Model:

They enroll people into this program once a month. Job-Readiness training starts almost immediately giving participants just the most basic skills they need to re-enter the workforce. What I like the most about this program is that they recognize the urgency for homeless people to put money in their pocket and find some sort of temporary housing. During this orientation, DSS is brought in to assure the participants have SNAP and EBT.
Within days of completing the Job-Readiness training, participants are placed in Transitional Employment. This step provides them with a $12/hour income. That income is paid out on a daily basis. CEO also provides or loans work boots, gloves and jackets to participants. Once participants are settled into Transitional Employment, (usually a week or two) Job Coaching, Training and Placement kicks in. The Transitional Employment, Training, Resume-building and Coaching are what long-term employers are looking for. It’s a signal to the prospective employer that a person is ready to take the next step. Depending on the effort of the participant, getting that prized job will happen anywhere from one to 3 months. Here’s one of their training classrooms:

CEO knows that participants who are new to working every day or are returning to work after a long absence need ongoing support to succeed. CEO also knows that the critical relationships they build with employers won’t succeed if they don’t provide ongoing support for a year.
When participants graduate from CEO’s program, they are earning a wage that far exceeds minimum wage and they are able to stand on their own. To recognize that achievement, a $400 bonus is paid to the participants that graduate from the program after about one year.

Lastly, I like that CEO doesn’t “sugar-coat” this program. To maintain their reputation, they have to enforce standards of behaviour. Those standards are spelled out at the beginning of the program and they include regular attendance and a drug-free and alcohol-free workplace.

They send recruiters to places like Roof Above, but if you want to join into their program you can go to their website. They are located at 5500 Executive Center Dr. Their number is 980-215-2036.