Community Corner

'It Changed Everything': Jobs Program For Homeless Marks 2 Years

Workers in the Fairfax City program contribute to key parks and recreation work, and some go on to find full-time work from employers.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — The coronavirus pandemic has brought more people out to enjoy open air spaces like parks and trails in the City of Fairfax. Some have observed trails are noticeably cleaner. That's all thanks to the efforts of workers who are experiencing homelessness.

The City of Fairfax and the Lamb Center, a daytime drop-in homeless shelter, are celebrating two years of the City Jobs Program. The program, run by the Lamb Center in partnership with the city's parks and recreation department, puts the daytime shelter's guests to work and has been transformative to improve the workers' lives. Some participants have gone on to find full-time employment.

"It changed everything. Before, I was homeless and had nothing," said Patrick Scholzen, a City Jobs program participant. "I was used to working."

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Scholzen said the City Jobs program was the first bit of normalcy that came back after he became homeless. As someone with a 35-year job resume before experiencing homelessness, the experience taught a crucial lesson.

Now Scholzen has a job working for Fairfax County, has an apartment and recently got a car from the Car Ministry.

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"The City Jobs program was humbling because my resume didn't include picking up trash," he said.

The City Jobs program workers add capacity to the department's maintenance crews to tackle a variety of tasks. Just a few of the chores completed so far included picking up trash in parks, installing a retaining wall at Westmore Dog Park, sanding and painting picnic tables and benches, removing leaves, debris and overhanging tree limbs from park paths, planting trees, and hanging up holiday decorations.

The idea for the program originated with Tara Ruszkowski, a Lamb Center board member who heard of a jobs program for the homeless. She pitched the idea to Fairfax City Mayor David Meyer, who ultimately expressed support for a program. City Council approved the program as a four-month pilot program in November 2018 before deciding to provide annual funding through a grant.

The workers, who are guests who visit the Lamb Center for crucial services, receive $10 per hour and work four-hour shifts twice a week. Even during the challenges of the pandemic, the program has been continuous since its inception in 2018.

In addition, the City of Fairfax allowed its public restrooms in Stafford Park to reopen between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for homeless residents. In exchange, the Lamb Center's City Jobs workers clean and maintain the restrooms at no cost to the city.

Benefit Of City Jobs Is Multi-Faceted

At the two-year celebration event at Van Dyck Park on Thursday, members of the City Jobs program spoke about their experiences and benefits of the program.

John Baird told Patch he experiences chronic homelessness and has consistently come to the Lamb Center for six years. After losing his job as a rideshare driver years ago, he needed short-term income and found it with the Jobs program. Although he believes the manual labor work uses skills they already know, it has benefits for the workers.

"It does provide familiarity. It does provide us with a little bit of money. It does provide us with something to look forward to," said Baird.

One thing he'd wish the City Jobs program could provide is eight hours of work per day rather than four. Baird is getting ready to work full time as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. After that, he is looking for other jobs. Baird said he is willing to take any kind of job he can get, but the bigger struggle has been keeping a job.

As for housing, he has a temporary place to stay. He is staying at a motel as part of a Fairfax County initiative to house high-risk individuals experiencing homelessness or those who have tested positive or are waiting test results. He is staying in the motel because the county identified him as being higher risk from the coronavirus. Baird expects that motel program will continue until June, unless the county keeps it going longer.

"That's the best housing I had in a long, long time," he said.

Another participant, Sebastian Porte told Patch he learned about the City Jobs program after coming to the Lamb Center for assistance. The Lamb Center has also helped him secure housing in Fairfax City, and the jobs program helped him become familiar with the community and how to work in the parks.

"This was an opportunity that came up that helped not only financially, but helped to understand and learn more about Fairfax City," Porte said.

As a retiree who had worked 30 years in finance, Porte said the City Jobs work helps him financially and with his mental stability. On top of that, the Lamb Center creates an environment centered on Christian faith, which he sees as an important part of his life.

Scholzen touted the difference City Jobs workers made in city parks, partially in removing trash from trails. "People notice, and especially when Covid started and everyone was out," he said. "This work means something not just to us but to people in the community."

The work experience also helped him make friends and learn about people from different backgrounds. If homeless individuals hadn't met each other in the program, he said they might just pass each other on the street. But if they know each other from the program, they might stop and walk with each other.

Some of his friends from the jobs program have secured other work. One of them is Norman Dixon, who was out with Fairfax City's leaf removal crew during the Lamb Center's celebration event.

"Everybody comes from different backgrounds and different situations, but everybody comes together," said Scholzen of his work experience.

Impact Of City Jobs in 2020 and Looking Ahead

In this year alone, City Jobs workers collected over 1,000 bags of trash in the city, according to Evan Reyle, workforce development manager at the Lamb Center. On 17 days, that included large items such as mattresses that cannot fit in trash bags. In addition, 60 bags of invasive plants have been collected.

Meyer had a message to jobs program workers who wondered if residents were noticing their efforts.

"Yes, we see that and it gives great meaning to us and you," said Meyer.

"I've never seen the streams in our city so clean," added Cathy Salgado, director of the city's parks and recreation department. "We get lots of positive comments."

John MacPherson, the Lamb Center's executive director, said the jobs program is something the center has wanted to do for a long time.

"We are wired to work. Our guests benefit from working, the city benefits by getting tasks done that would normally be neglected, and the community benefits from safer and better looking parks and trails. It's a win-win-win," said MacPherson.

Meyer expressed support for the program's continuation.

"The city is a committed partner in helping workers facilitate their discovery of recovery," said Meyer in a statement. "We want to see The Lamb Center continue to move guests into stable housing as a vital next phase to fuller and more stable lives. We are proud of what these workers continue to achieve and accomplish for us and for themselves."

Due to the success of the City Jobs program, a pilot program was launched in Fairfax County led by the county's Stormwater Planning Division with a focus on cleaning around streams. That pilot program was adopted as a semi-permanent program called Operation Stream Shield. The county opted to extend the program for up to five years.

Ruszkowski envisions the program expanding if it can get participation from private sector employers. While local governments are faced with budget constraints during the pandemic, she believes private employers such as landscaping companies can benefit from the skills workers pick up from the jobs program.

"We need commercial partners that can recognize our guests' strengths and offer them opportunity," Ruszkowski told Patch.

For more information about City Jobs, visit the Lamb Center's website.

More Patch Coverage on Homelessness


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