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Orlando carpool service takes the homeless to work
A new non-profit organization in Orlando is connecting homeless people to jobs and offering a carpool service to ensure they have transportation to and from work.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A new non-profit organization in Orlando is connecting homeless people to jobs and offering a carpool service to ensure they have transportation to and from work.
On Monday, Orlando City commissioners approved a $100,000 investment in First Step Staffing to help the agency expand its transportation program using rented Enterprise rideshare vans and Uber.
The largest non-profit staffing agency in the U.S. works with homeless people, veterans, and returning citizens to place them in hospitality and warehouse jobs.
"Our goal is to try and place them in employment between 48 and 72 hours and then to start paying weekly so they can really connect to that income and start moving towards stability," said First Step Staffing CEO Amelia Nickerson.
Nickerson said since starting operations in Orlando in November they have placed 50 people in jobs and done 750 carpool rides per month.
The transportation service is offered to people who use First Step’s services and need a ride to and from work. The carpool picks people up from the Christian Service Center at 808 W Central Boulevard.
"A lot of the entry level jobs are located in spots where there is no public transportation either by geography, it’s just not running there, or by time," Nickerson said.
Nickerson said with the City of Orlando’s $100,000 investment, First Step will be able to rent a second 15-passenger van and offer up to 10,000 rides annually as they place more people into jobs. She said they have a goal of employing at least 100 people by the end of the year.
First Step also wants to expand carpool pick-up services to the Salvation Army, Orlando Union Rescue Mission, and the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. Each ride is three dollars and is automatically deducted from a person’s paycheck depending on how often they use the service.
Nickerson said removing the transportation barrier is critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
"By reducing that we can not only help people get a job, and help them keep a job and the longer they can sustain that income, the higher chances are that they’ll be able to afford housing and move completely out of homelessness."
Visit the First Step Staffing website for more information about its job placement and transportation programs.