It is a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee, company owners say.
Two local companies hire Squamish Helping Hands Society clients and the result is often a fresh start for the employee and a dedicated and skilled employee for the workforce.
Target Homes started its Targeted Employment program a couple of years ago after discussions with Maureen Mackell, executive director at the not-for-profit Helping Hands.
“One of the issues they have is if [clients] go to rehab and they come out, there is this vicious cycle because no one really wants to take them on as employees,” said Dave Ransier, of Squamish real estate development company Target Homes. “So, OK, we will hire them.”
Advanced age, a lack of education and training, mental and physical health issues, personal tragedy, as well as developmental limitations, are some of the other barriers Helping Hands clients may face, Mackell said.
Ransier said many construction jobs are suited to employees who wanted to enter the trades from the ground up.
So far, the company has employed four employees from Helping Hands.
The arrangement has been key for clients, Mackell told The Squamish Chief.
“Our mission is not just to feed and shelter people, but to help them become independent. Dave and Grant (of Target Homes) are visionary superheroes, along with our guys who courageously show up at the work site each day – even when they are scared or unsure. This program changes lives in the best possible way.”
Ransier acknowledges there’s been a learning curve both for the company and the employees.
A flexible schedule when the employees start is helpful, supervisors found, so that workers can ease into their newfound independence and responsibility.
“What we found is sometimes it can take two or three months for them to get into a routine where they are actually there all the time,” Ransier said.
“A lot of them seem to have issues with self-confidence. If something didn’t go right they would be afraid that we would blow up or something… a lot of anxiety to be working all of a sudden with a bunch of people.”
Target’s Grant Gillies said eventually the workers catch on and often become so good at what they do on the job site that they are “stolen” by other contractors, which is the goal.
“The timing is good,” Gillies said. “The city is getting more active, there’s more demand for labour and they eventually grow and learn and become skilled labour, it is perfect.”
The Pie Company is another Squamish business that has hired workers from Helping Hands.
“We were feeling the pain of the labour shortage and I got to thinking, this could be a really good opportunity to help someone and to give someone a chance,” said the company’s co-founder Renee McNeil.
The Pie Company currently has two employees who came from Helping Hands and who had previously worked the society’s food cart at Brennan Park Recreation Centre.
“It has just been amazing to see the changes in them and watching their stories unfold as the time goes on,” said McNeil, who has been collaborating with Helping Hands for about six months.
McNeil said the employees give back more than they get, in her experience, by coming in to work and giving their best every day.
“They just give it everything they have got,” she said.
Like the owners of Target Homes, McNeil said boosting confidence is important in order for the employees to be able to contribute.
“I just think people need to break down the barriers of what they perceive the workforce to be and they need an environment where they can get some hands on experience and they can get some job training; where they can come in without all the judgment, without the stress or the pressure and learn what it is like in a work environment and build their confidence.”
Mackell said she is excited by the burgeoning partnership her society has with The Pie Company.
“They too have what it takes – the expertise in their field along with the ‘we get it’ attitude toward employing people with barriers. I am excited and full of anticipation as we further our discussion around how we can work together for the benefit of the people we serve.”
Asked why other companies should follow her lead, NcNeil turned the question around.
“Why wouldn’t you give someone an opportunity if you have a position?” she asked.
