St. Joseph the Worker, a nonprofit that connects disadvantaged, homeless and low-income individuals to quality jobs, has been awarded a $250,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.

The funding will support the organization’s workforce villages program, which works to eliminate housing barriers for employed individuals experiencing homelessness.

“The truth is, many people facing homelessness want to work but lack the basic resources to find and maintain employment,” said founder and CEO of PXG Bob Parsons. “It’s pretty rough keeping a job when you don’t have a place to sleep or take a shower. By providing stable housing and employment resources, St. Joseph the Worker is helping break the cycle of homelessness.”

SJW operates under the mission of giving anyone who is stable, ready and wanting to work a hand-up and not a handout. One of the organization’s key initiatives for finding a solution to homelessness is its workforce villages program. A transitional housing option for working, homeless clients, workforce villages provides up to three months of rent-free, stable housing, according to a press release.

Residents then have the opportunity to transition into permanent housing and receive up to 12 months of additional services such as transportation assistance, professional attire or uniforms, resume development, financial planning, credit repair planning, long-term goal setting and conflict management training. Together, these resources build the foundation needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency and maintain quality employment. SJW defines quality employment as a career providing a livable wage and benefits as well as opportunities for upskilling/advancement.

“We are beyond grateful to The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation for this generous grant,” said Chief Operating Officer of SJW Dean Scheinert. “With this additional funding, we will be able to bolster essential employment resources for our clients that many of us tend to take for granted in our day-to-day lives. There are a lot of hard-working people out there who need a hand up when seeking and landing a job. And, having a significant financial boost from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will bring us one step closer to ending homelessness through services that support long-term housing and employment.”

The recent grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will allow the organization to expand its outreach and serve approximately 100 adults in the greater Phoenix area. During the past 12 months, SJW and the workforce villages program have helped 5,399 clients maintain and secure quality jobs.

“Access to affordable housing in the greater Phoenix area is a growing issue and, without help, many people experiencing poverty and homelessness are unable to get back on their feet,” said President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel Renee Parsons. “St. Joseph the Worker is breaking down the most common barriers to gainful employment and providing its clients with the opportunity to overcome their circumstances, become financially stable and secure long-term housing.”

SJW reaches clients from more than 50 ZIP codes across the Valley through its five locations and 90+ nonprofit, government and private partners. In total, the organization has helped transform the lives of more than 35,000 individuals since its establishment and continues to dispense the resources needed to remove employment barriers and create success.

For more than 30 years, SJW has served marginalized, homeless and low-income individuals across Arizona. The organization is currently the largest, 100% community-funded employment organization in the state and is responsible for employing more individuals in real, paying jobs than any other Arizona-based nonprofit organization. To learn more about SJW, or for ways to get involved, visit https://sjwjobs.org/.