Homelessness and Employment

1. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Homelessness and Employment Presentation by Nick Falvo March 8, 2018

2. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Overview • Lack of jobs in Canada • Inadequacy of EI and social assistance • Health challenges among persons experiencing homelessness • Calgary-based programs that help

3. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Overview (cont’d) • ‘Winners’ and ‘losers’ • Over-qualification • Child care • What can be done?

4. FALVO: Homelessness and employment The basics • Even though Canada’s official unemployment rate is low in historical context, there aren’t enough jobs to go around. • Those that exist are highly-concentrated at the low end of the wage spectrum. • Senior orders of government have various policies in which they bring in migrant workers to compete for those low-wage jobs.

5. FALVO: Homelessness and employment The basics (cont’d) • Income assistance for those without employment is very modest and conditions of eligibility are strict. • In other words, life on social assistance (or even Employment Insurance) is harsh, so there’s still strong incentive for people without work to seek it out. • But persons experiencing homelessness are in very poor health, which makes it very challenging for them to compete in such a labour market.

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8. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Temporary and Contract Workers

9. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Inadequacy of social assistance • Across Canada, 70% of ppl on social assistance are ‘food insecure.’ • Landlords often discriminate against people receiving social assistance.

10. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Homelessness and health “Homeless people in their forties and fifties often develop health disabilities that are more commonly seen only in people who are decades older.” — Stephen Hwang

11. FALVO: Homelessness and employment

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15. FALVO: Homelessness and employment What’s available for persons experiencing homelessness in Calgary who want to find work?

16. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Public policy is weak here • Both federal and provincial programs that provide employment support for persons experiencing homelessness in Calgary often require a permanent address. • This may represent a gap in Canadian public policy.

17. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Mustard Seed • This faith-based community agency in Calgary has an employment program with three streams. It is funded entirely by private giving. • Stream 1: One-on-one coaching. For ppl who need the most support (and often have mental health challenges). • Resume-writing; cover letters. • Staff even physically take applicants out for job searches.

18. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Mustard Seed (cont’d) Stream 2: Worshops. Resume, cover letter, some networking. Employers come in and do mock interviews. This stream was launch in April 2017.

19. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Mustard Seed (cont’d) Stream 3: Fast-track stream. For workers who are very close to securing a steady job but need some very temporary assistance (i.e., work clothing; tools; public transit).

20. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre (the DI) • Employment program funded by Alberta’s provincial government • One-on-one work with participants • Also, a 3-wk training program (interview skills; resume writing; financial literacy; first aid; forklift skills; interviews; employee rights). • Staff at the DI then follow up with graduates at 90 days, and then again at 180 days

21. FALVO: Homelessness and employment The DI (cont’d) • In the span of one month, this program gets 800 unique individuals out at a job at some point. • Also during the course of a one month, as many as 500 different employers use this service at the DI. • Most jobs are general labour (i.e. moving and lifting things; landscaping; clean up). This particular program is especially good at helping workers to find jobs at festivals (i.e., Canada Day, Lilac Festival, Calgary Pride, etc.).

22. FALVO: Homelessness and employment The DI (cont’) • Where possible, the DI tries to turn casual positions into full-time ones—last yr, they managed to get 21 full-time permanent positions created out of this initiative. • That’s not how it works with for-profit temp agencies!

23. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Other programs • Calgary John Howard Society has a Learning Enhanced Employment Program for persons involved or at-risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. • It’s a 3-wk training program. • Also, the DI has a WoodWorks program, a social enterprise that funds itself through the sale of the product. Participants work in the program for 12 wks, with the goal of then entering directly into the woodworking industry.

24. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Who succeeds? • The most successful participants in all of these programs tend to be relatively health and be between the ages of 25 and 60. • One of the reasons workers over the age of 60 struggle with work is that some computer literacy is often required for jobs. • According to Patty Rideout: “Most jobs, even entry level work, require employees to use technology for work schedules, reporting, or organization.”

25. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Some over-qualification • In some cases, persons experiencing homelessness in Calgary are overqualified for jobs. • One employment support worker in Calgary tells me via email: “We are taking master’s degrees off of resumes to try to get clients working.” • This may speak to the fact that, even in Calgary, there simply aren’t enough jobs to go around.

26. FALVO: Homelessness and employment The need for child care • More affordable child care in Calgary would make it easier for parents experiencing homelessness to access employment. • A lack of subsidized child care is a major barrier to employment, esp. for women. In the case of households experiencing homelessness, this is especially challenging. • The median monthly childcare fee for a Calgary infant is $1,250.

27. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Summary • Too few jobs, inadequate income assistance programs, major health challenges and a lack of subsidized child care all pose barriers to employment for persons experiencing homelessness. • Programs in Calgary offered by Mustard Seed, the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, and Calgary John Howard Society help many persons experiencing homelessness to overcome some of these barriers.

28. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Summary (cont’d) • One ‘big picture’ advocacy ask at the federal level can be found in the Alternative Federal Budget. • For a similar ‘big picture’ ask at the provincial level, check out this year’s Alberta Alternative Budget (stay tuned!).

29. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Thank You Nick Falvo Director of Research and Data Calgary Homeless Foundation nick@calgaryhomeless.com

30. FALVO: Homelessness and employment Acknowledgements • Tanya Gerber, Santino Marinucci, Patty Rideout, John Rook and John Rowland all helped with this. • But if you see errors, please blame me and not them!