Job training opportunities at Sisters are a way for customers to re-establish work routines while learning new skills after a period of financial instability, substance abuse, incarceration, mental health problems or an extended period of unemployment. The Work-Force Development Program can be a way back to self-respect, a meaningful job and a home of one’s own. 

Click here to see a three-minute video touching on the Work Force Development Program. Please note you will need Quicktime or other video software to view this video.  To download a free version of QuickTime, click here.

Sisters Of The Road has a commitment to hire from our customer base, men and women with experience with homelessness and/or extreme poverty.  We have work force development staff working in the cafe, in the Systemic Change program, and soon in the administration office. 

Meet them!

Read an interview with New Orleans native Carl Harris and read about his personal experience with Hurricane Katrina and his comparisons between the South and Portland; meet Neil and read about his experiences with Sisters’ Civic Action Group; meet Laredo, Texas native and Dishwasher Domingo Garza; meet Customer Services Coordinator Shorty; meet three of our current and past WFD members, Brian, Patrick and Domingo; meet past WFD participant Tamara Brauchler; and meet our beloved community member Glasker Rankin, who we lost in 2005.

The Work-Force Development Program at Sisters is individualized to assist each participant in identifying and addressing a variety of employment and housing barriers. Personal as well as professional development is emphasized. Sisters Work Force Program differs from other “job training” programs in knowing that most of our community members have conventional job skills and experience. Working at Sisters is about making profound change from the inside out.

The Program is designed to encourage and assist individuals in determining their own personal and career goals. Each Work-Force Development employee establishes a unique individual plan. For some, this means practical training in creating a resume; for others, it may mean self-exploration and counseling around issues of abuse and violence. There are uniform requirements: a commitment to practicing Sisters’ philosophy, the building of strong relationships with co-workers and customers, and the mastery of requisite job skills while operating as part of a team.

Temporary Labor Pool

In 2006, Sisters created a new temporary labor pool of workers hired from our customer community.  The pool helps Sisters with staffing flexibility and also gives us a potential pool to hire from if a permanent Work Force Development position becomes available.  Bekah, below, and Neil, below left, are two of our workers in this pool.