A new program trains college students for jobs helping homeless Californians. Can it survive?

A new program trains college students for jobs helping homeless Californians. Can it survive?

In summary Santa Monica College started the first community college program to train people for much-needed jobs in homeless services. But will its first cohort be its last? With more than 187,000 people sleeping on California’s streets and in its shelters, the state’s homeless services industry is struggling to hire enough qualified workers to help them.  Last year, Santa Monica College set out to fix that: It heralded the state’s first-ever co…

Lucie Jones – I am a... - Drink and Drugs News

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WORK IN THIS FIELD? When I qualified as a nurse 32 years ago, all I wanted to do was work in this type of field, specifically in homelessness. I’ve always had a passion for the marginalised in society, so I qualified as a nurse and then went directly into working in a hostel for the homeless. Throughout my career, I’ve worked in a variety of different areas. I’ve managed rough sleepers’ projects, sex worker projects and wo…