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JOBS! ÔTicket to WorkÕ HIV+, Dual-Diagnosed,
by John Janda
Introduction LetÕs begin with a song of praise on behalf of work. At least I want to affirm that in my own life work always has been a blessing -- even when I didnÕt like the job so much, or the boss, or the pay wasnÕt so great. Given a combination of those downers IÕd maybe start looking for another job, which is to say, just a different kind of work. Work is a stage on which weÕre invited to perform, Work allows us to exercise our various talents and Work often asks us to BE more than we were Work has always felt like a healthy activity and good for me, good for mine, good for all of us. I donÕt remember anything else Ross Perot said while trying hard to be elected President, but I do remember this one-liner of his: ÒIf theyÕre breathing, I want them working!Ó Me too, I really do want them working Ð while also going to school on the side, becoming better parents, living happier lives. That all has to begin somewhere, however, and typically it begins with work, with a job. IÕm often asked ÒWho are the employers who hire the disabled, the homeless, parolees, recovering addicts, etc.?Ó After all, my company, The WorkPlace Ca, has been doing Job Development for people with those problem-sets since 1987 (I personally have been doing it since 1974) and people think we should know. My most honest answer to that question, and the one I usually give, is that there really are no such employers. There are only all those employers who need to get goods produced, packaged and shipped, or services rendered, and who on at least some occasions are willing to take a chance hiring someone in recovery, someone with a ÔhistoryÕ, or someone living in a shelter, in order to get that necessary work done. God bless them when they do hire from the ranks of our barriered clients, but their primary motive even then isnÕt social service; it canÕt be. Their own job, their purpose, is the creation of new value, new wealth, which ultimately benefits us all. A few years ago the U.S. Dept. of Labor decided to spend some of your precious tax dollars and mine by having staffers call lots of employers nationwide to ask ÒWould your company consider hiring ex-offenders?Ó Not surprisingly, only 17% said they would. ASK A STUPID QUESTION! (ÒWould your company consider hiring murders, rapists and drug dealers?Ó ThatÕs what their question amounted to). I wonder how many employers answered, tongue in cheek: ÒNo, dude, we only hire welders and pipe-fitters!Ó Now if the welder has a little ÔhistoryÕ, but the company also needs someone badly at the moment, and they like his face, and thereÕs maybe a tax credit related to the hire . . . thereÕs the loophole for you. The EMPLOYERS arenÕt usually the problem, theyÕre not stupid but they are simple Ð all they usually want is the work done and no trouble. Offer them that and theyÕll very often overlook a whole lot of other potentially worrisome stuff. ItÕs the clients who usually are the problem, Print Copy: Cost $13.95 copy, plus 8.75% Sales Tax for Ca Residents, plus $3.00 Shipping/Handling
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