Walking around the streets of Los Angeles, you will probably encounter one of the 66 thousand homeless people. What do you do when you see them? Do you run? Do you ignore them? Do you give spare change? We all have different reactions. But for those who try to help, how sustainable is the help we can provide?
In high school, I was involved in a few volunteer work where we donated clothes to kids, food to typhoon victims, and money to those in poverty. Our donations helped people, but it wasn’t sustainable. What happens after the food and money run out? What happens in the long run? I believe that a more sustainable solution or help we can provide is by helping others find jobs. Jobs will provide a steady income for the homeless and help them secure housing.
Meals for Home is a non-profit organization that aims to open a restaurant in Southern California. We will hire employees from the homeless population to help them get back on their feet. We will first interview them to ensure that they are eager to turn their life around. To help with buying clothes and food, we will provide a one-month advance salary. Homeless people are not incapable. Some have just encountered extreme circumstances that have lead them to where they are now. It is difficult to start over, especially when no one is willing to give them a chance.
You may wonder, what happens if hired employees leave after receiving the advance salary? There aren’t any consequences we can provide, but we can carefully screen applicants to make sure they are determined to improve their lives through the interview. Most people who receive the job will stay because they want a steady income. A steady income is better than a one-month salary.
Due to limited resources, we will not be able to hire a lot of employees, thus we plan on offering services to the rest of the homeless population. Profit from the restaurant will be allocated towards these services. We will provide workshops and training sessions like personal finances, cooking, or housekeeping which can help them get jobs in different fields. We will also organize support groups where they can share their struggles and experiences. A manager/counselor will manage our employees. The manager/counselor will oversee restaurant operations and provide any career and emotional support the employees need.
We are hoping for AMDP’s investment to bring this idea to life. Through this non-profit, we can help integrate the homeless back to society. Meals for Home will start with one branch in Southern California and eventually expand to other states and countries.
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