Valley employment organization
St. Joseph the Worker has officially marked its expansion into the East Valley.
Although the nonprofit’s Mesa office officially opened last December, a ribbon cutting was postponed due to safety precautions. Representatives from the City of Mesa, Mesa United Way and Crescent Crown Distributing were among those in attendance.
The office, at 1833 E. Main St., allows St. Joseph the Worker to provide resources more efficiently to those in need.
Executive Director Brent Downs explained, “The new location will give East Valley residents more direct access to St. Joseph the Worker and the employment opportunities we are able to provide, which is especially important right now. We encourage anyone looking for a job to come in and get connected.”
Though the pandemic highlighted the need for employment assistance across the Valley, it particularly underscored the need for more access points to St. Joseph’s brand of service, Downs said.
It provides more than just job leads, including essential career change guidance and basic resources like work clothing and transportation to those who are struggling financially as they look for work.
The nonprofit also connects people with jobs by partnering with local businesses that need a workforce, connecting clients directly to job openings for which they can be hired immediately.
Once a client secures a job, they are encouraged to come back to the office and ring the “Success Bell” as a declaration of this important new beginning.
St. Joseph the Worker then helps clients succeed in those jobs by giving them the tools needed to maintain employment.
St. Joseph the Worker (SJW) is a privately funded non-profit whose mission is to assist homeless, low-income, and other disadvantaged individuals in their efforts to become self-sufficient through quality employment.
In 1988, volunteers from André House, a shelter and soup-line, created SJW in response to a plea from homeless individuals receiving dinner in the park: “We want jobs, but we don’t have the tools.”
Since then, SJW has focused solely on empowering the economically challenged, underemployed, and unemployed to transform their lives through employment. Last fiscal year, SJW reached over 5,000 individuals and helped 2,412 disadvantaged job-seekers to rise above substantial barriers and become gainfully employed. More information: sjwjobs.org
