Troy and Daniel's job for the day is scraping paint and pressure washing the building. Tomorrow, it could be lawn care or maintenance.
"As you can see we pretty much get the job done, we're getting it knocked out pretty quick actually," said Troy Koon, one of the workers.
They're working to support their families, and pay off their food stamps. "Whatever benefits they receive monetarily, mostly food stamps, they divide that into minimum wage and they work at non-profit sites like the county churches, things like that, and they work for their benefits," said Project Liaison Russ Thomas.
More than 400 people are part of the Job and Family Services Work Experience Program.
Daniel, married with eight children, says he's working towards a full-time job, and showing his kids the value of hard work. "Instead of sitting at home and waiting on the couch for it to come on the card we get out and work for it, come out and bust our tail for it," said Daniel Burke, "Jobs like this and Job and Family Services and Russ, you know they give us opportunities to keep us motivated, to keep us going towards what's right."
And Troy hopes to inspire others. "You know because my life wasn't the best, you know what I'm saying, so if I can sit there and do something to make somebody's life better, or try to make somebody else's life better, that's all I'm about," said Troy Koon.
The program saves the County about $5,000 worth of work on this building, and helps these men build a resume. "They're getting job skills while they're out here doing it, they're establishing teamwork, learning things like that that they never would have been exposed to before, and so they're working on becoming employed, and working through barriers, and getting employment is the ultimate goal and getting off benefits," said Thomas.Â
Thomas says since November seven of his workers have moved off food stamps and into full-time jobs.
