For nearly three years, St. Joseph the Worker has taken its job-seeking assistance on the road. The organization uses an RV known as its "Mobile Success Unit".
The vehicle transports employment supplies and resources to job-seekers anywhere in the community. On Tuesday, it was parked at Goodwill Industries near 16th Street and Indiana School Road.
For Jennifer Sampson, it's a life-changer.
"I don't know the right references," she said. "I've always wanted to help people, that's been one of my biggest goals in life."
Sampson was one of several people who showed up to search for a job, work on their resume or get clothing to interview in. SJW is focusing a lot of its efforts on getting homeless off the hot streets and into steady jobs.
"Right now we work with 60 agencies and travel to 80 sites, so we're all over Maricopa County and parts of Pinal County," Patrick Winters, director for Saint Joseph the Worker, said.
The organization uses private funds. Corporate partner Bank of America donated $200,000 to the program over the past three years. Money well spent, according to one of the bank's executives.
"It's money that is set aside each year," Kelvin Goode from Bank of America said. "We identify those who are in need, then we allocate the funds accordingly."
The unit maintains a regular schedule at several locations and distributes fliers to let homeless people know when and where they can get help.
"We've helped 3,000 people find jobs this year," Winters said.
