Lodi trade program opening doors
Lodi Committee on Homelessness launches job training program
Without a home for the past year, Lucas Stephens is no longer without hope.
A new program has given Stephens and others in his position the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to get back into the workforce and off the streets.
The Lodi Committee on Homelessness has partnered with the Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California Chapter to offer a job training program for the homeless and underserved population.
According to committee member Pat Fehling, ABC Northern California offers training classes for those interested in the field of construction.
The committee has paid the chapter to offer a seven-day training class that has an emphasis on electrical training, and currently four students are enrolled.
“When the students come to the class, they get boots. They get their full tool kit. They get their drills. They get every piece of equipment free, so they will be totally prepared to go to a job site,” Fehling said.
The training started with two days of Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10 certification training last week, and students will have five days of handson electrical training this week, Fehling said. By the end of the week, they will have the necessary skills to go out and get a job wiring an entire house, Fehling said. The class certifies the students for residential wiring, not commercial jobs.
“After this training, in two years they can qualify for a residential certification from the state and make $35 an hour. That’s just a great progress that we can do for these students” said Sergio Cortez. ABC Northern California workforce development manager and instructor of the class.
Stephens says the training has been a blast and he can’t believe all the things he’s learning.
“It’s going to totally change the whole course and direction that my life is going,” Stephens said. “It’s given me an opportunity, and it’s opening a door I never even thought was possible to be open.”
Stephens is currently living at the Salvation Army Shelter. He found himself homeless after a series of bad choices, he said, but now he is ready to turn his life around.
“Once you make one bad choice and make another bad choice and another bad choice, sometimes it gets so overwhelming you can’t see your way out,” Stephens said. “I‘m blessed that I even have the opportunity to do this. I’m very ready to turn my life around, and I see a door open and I feel like God has put it in my life so I may step through it.”
The job training has made Stephens feel confident that he will have the necessary skills to get a job.
“I went from having nothing to now I have a sense that I can do it. I can get out of where I am. I can push forward and have a life,” Stephens said. “They’re so amazing I’m beyond grateful. No words can describe the gratitude I have for them. They are truly doing God’s work.”
Joseph Malta said he was also enjoying the training and found it to be very instructional. Like Stephens, he is currently residing at the Salvation Army and has been homeless for 10 months. After making some bad choices, he found himself behind bars. From there he was mandated to participate in the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Program. Participating in the training class has allowed Malta to finally see himself with a future.
“I’m very, very thankful to the people that are in the community that are giving me this opportunity because it did give me a future and a positive outlook on life,” Malta said.
Malta is eager to land a job once he completes his training.
The students will receive a special card making them eligible to start work right away, and once they’re hired, they will move into a system of apprenticeship, Fehling said. According to Fehling, the students will have to take online classes in order to complete the first portion of their apprenticeship, which is expected to last about five years.
“In the meantime they will be working. These four students that we have will no longer be living on the street. They will have a job and will be able to get an apartment and be productive citizens of our community,” Fehling said.
In addition to gaining the skills necessary for a career in construction, the job training will also teach students leadership, integrity and accountability, Cortez said.
Cortez has been an instructor for ABC Northern California for the past 10 years and designs the training courses. For Cortez, who dropped out of high school at 16 and is an ex-convict who managed to turn his life around and obtain a promising career, offering this course is an opportunity for him to give to others who are faced with barriers.
“I want to let them know you can do this, there is no barrier here. I’m here to train and teach and be a mentor,” Cortez said.
According to Fehling, the committee was introduced to the idea of offering a job training program by Capt. Martin Ross of the Salvation Army. It took the committee a year to consider the direction they wanted to go with the concept, and in the process, they applied for a series of grants. They were able to secure the Sierra Health Care grant in order to fund the program. They have been able to cover the cost of the program for seven days but are seeking more grants and donations from the community to continue funding it in the future. They plan to have an event on May 15 at ABC Northern California, and will be inviting many entities to come and learn more about the program.
“The homeless community cannot excel until they have a job and housing, and so I believe, unless we provide them with job opportunities, they can not get off the streets,” Fehling said. “People forget that the homeless community wants to get off the streets. Once they get the job then we the community can help them find housing, and then they are no longer a person who feels they have no self-worth.”
The homeless committee will be continually looking at housing opportunities and finding other avenues to provide more job training to the homeless and underserved.
“The (San Joaquin County) board of supervisors definitely gets it now, and our potential for a lot of things we want to try to do here is going to be probably through HUD,” said John Ledbetter, chair of the Lodi Committee on Homelessness. “I’m really optimistic. Government tends to grind slow. I think with this issue, government is moving at warp speed. Even though it’s been a couple of years, it’s now moving. I think (in) the next couple of years we’ll see some real opportunities for programs to do something to help with additional housing as well as training programs.”