Featured Program: Crew Based Sheltered Employment Program
Victor Graham is a warm young man with southern charm, a stalwart veteran of the Marine Corps. At 25 years of age, Victor Graham isn’t looking back, isn’t regretting his missteps. Victor Graham is learning from his mistakes and is sharing with other young men enrolled in the Volunteers of America Bay Area Crew Based Shelter Program. This makes him one of life’s heroes―those individuals who overcome difficult ordeals and go on to make life better for others. Graham graduated with honors from Glen Hills High School in Augusta, Ga. None of his high school friends expected him to join the armed forces, but when his best friend considered joining the Marines, “because it was the hardest military force to join,” Graham rose to the challenge, too.
During his five-year enlistment with the Marines, Graham progressed through the ranks to that of Corporal E4 and became day crew supervisor of the base’s tool room. The tool room supplied the components necessary for the avionics mechanics to service Harrier airplanes. After receiving an honorable discharge in July 2006, Graham set his sights on a bright future out on the West Coast.
As it sometimes happens in life, things don’t go as expected, and this was the case for Victor Graham. When a heated argument got totally out of hand, he landed himself in prison. Graham explained his incarceration as “culture shock.” It was something he would never forget, but more importantly, something he knew he never wanted to experience again.
Like so many others being released from prison, Graham found himself in need of housing. He didn’t relish the idea of looking for a place to stay and felt stigmatized as a previously incarcerated individual. But when Graham was directed to the Men of Valor program at Acts Full Gospel Church, he didn’t know much his life was about to change.
Through Acts’ community partnership with Volunteers of America Bay Area, Graham was placed in the Crew Based Shelter Employment Program. This program, supported by City of Oakland Measure Y funds, is in collaboration with the City of Oakland Public Works Department. It offers parolees a three-month intensive work and study program, providing them with a progression of skills and education. The program’s goal for every student is to be able to have them secure unsubsidized employment at its conclusion. This was just the springboard Graham needed to find his way back into the world he was familiar with and society.
Graham’s strong military background aided him as he worked harder than ever during his time in the program. Upon graduation, his perfect attendance record and exemplary leadership skills made him a natural candidate for the position of Crew Based Shelter Employment Program Supervisor. Graham was hired immediately to supervise 10 men and coordinate scheduled projects with the public works department.
Although his probation stipulated one condition, Graham felt it was for the best. He was required to take a course in anger management. “I learned the most by taking this class, I learned to read body language and came to understand that facial expression and eye contact also tell a story,” Graham said. “I think this will help me to be a better supervisor.”
Volunteers of America Bay Area is planning to offer more opportunities for empowerment and transformation to veterans. There are currently plans to open a 50-bed therapeutic community housing facility for homeless veterans in late 2009.
While Graham is actively dedicated to serving his country as a reservist, Volunteers of America Bay Area is proud to have helped someone like Graham who in turn continues helping others. This is how Volunteers of America has been able to continue its mission in serving those in need for more than a century. Victor Graham is one of life’s heroes.
Assistance for Homeless Veterans
Nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and twice as many experience homelessness during a year. Right now, the number of homeless Vietnam era veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war. Already, veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are appearing in the homeless population.
Volunteers of America is committed to ending homelessness for those already on the street and preventing others from becoming homeless. Volunteers of America provides a wide array of well-designed and managed services to meet the specific needs of homeless veterans.
In addition, we provide support for those veterans who may have fallen into the corrections system.
Crew Based Sheltered Employment Program
The Crew Based Sheltered Employment Program is a collaboration between Volunteers of America Bay Area and several City of Oakland public works departments. This offering is designed to take parolees into a three-month intensive work/study program that provides a progression of learning skills and education, with the goal of unsubsidized employment at its conclusion. The program is open to all parolees who reside in a Volunteers of America Bay Area reentry program, or other approved Measure Y and Project Choice partner agencies.
Day Labor Program
The Day Labor Program coordinates employment and outreach strategies for Oakland's casual laborer population, with special emphasis on the Fruitvale District. Each month, the program places more than 500 men in permanent jobs and secures temporary placement for 600 more participants. Our collaborations with local businesses, churches, community organizations, labor unions, local governments and resident groups help promote civic harmony and community participation, ensuring an effective Day Labor Program. Other services include social service referrals to laborers and their families which include food, housing, medical and legal services, along with transportation.
