Two hundred people have been supported by an innovative employment programme organised by homeless church and charity The Salvation Army in Dublin, new data shows.
Employment Plus has helped to transform the lives not only of homeless residents in its Lifehouses, but also marginalised members of the public who feel ‘invisible’ in the jobs market.
The success of the initiative, which began in Dublin in 2022 – was marked at the charity’s community hub and church on King’s Inns Street on Friday. (May23)
It is one of the many programmes The Salvation Army – one of the biggest providers of emergency accommodation in Dublin – undertakes to give people the tools to improve their skills and find careers.
The programme is open to residents of its six Lifehouses in Dublin – Houben House, Granby Centre, Greencastle, York House, Clonard House and Rease House, and to members of the public.
“When someone approaches us for help, the first thing that we do is listen to what they perceive their barriers to be, what goals and aspirations they have, we then work with them to compile an effective plan that will help them achieve those goals,” said Peter Maybury, Regional Manager for Employment Plus.
“We help anyone aged over 18 who is unemployed, under-employed or economically inactive. That economically inactive cohort is growing and includes people who are not eligible for mainstream support services.
“It is a group who are often invisible as they aren’t receiving jobseeker’s benefit. We often initially support with confidence, motivation and self worth and begin the employability journey when the customer is ready.”
Since its inception, more than 200 people have received support from Employment Plus in Dublin. As well as the employability support, people can access help with money management, confidence, motivation and goal setting.
One of the men who engaged in the Employment Plus scheme struggled to find a job after returning to Ireland from Australia as Covid 19 took hold.
The programme helped him upgrade his CV, suggest roles he could apply for, and eventually he landed full-time employment with a major construction company.
“You were my motivation, so was my wife and the kids but you always believed in me,” he said.
An Iraqi national whose confidence, self-worth and motivation were all affected by his inability to find permanent work, was also given the tools to help him back into the workforce.
His CV was transformed to ‘sell’ his experience to prospective employers and prepare him for interviews, which led to him landing a full-time role at Dublin Airport – and an offer for him to take up an apprenticeship.
People who are interested in finding out more about Employment Plus, can contact: [email protected]
*The Salvation Army provides 250,000 bed nights per year in its six individual and family homeless centres across Dublin.
