PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A workforce development program operating out of the Nicetown-Tioga Library is changing lives in and around the area by connecting people to careers that provide livable wages.
Leaders of the National Workforce Opportunity Network (NWON) program have already helped hundreds of people, and they hope to be able to help even more in an area challenged by poverty and unemployment.
Hilton Wheeler, 56, of Lawncrest, says when he first heard of NWON, he wasn’t sure if he could trust it.
“It sounds good. But I’m thinking … I don't know, it may be a scam, because it sounds too good to be true,” Wheeler said.
As it turns out, “too good to be true, was actually true.”
Wheeler is now working as a hoist operator for a construction company, which he says he’s passionate about, and helps him provide for his wife and daughter.
“It allows me to have a pension and allows me to have an annuity. And of course, that's much better than having a job. It's a career. So it's very good for me. It's very good for my family,” he said.
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Prior to this job, Wheeler says he was limited to odd jobs which didn't live up to his needs — “$15 an hour in this economy. And the gas prices. Just not a very good thing. You can't really survive on that. You are just barely making ends meet. And you're somewhat limited from paycheck to paycheck.”
Now, he says, he has found a career he can grow into and make a decent living.
“We're able to do things — such as movies, having dinner out — to be able to simply afford the things that I need,” he said. “A car, a home and of course paying the bills. So it's very fulfilling.”
Wheeler is one of dozens who have been connected to employment opportunities since NWON started operating out of the Nicetown-Tioga Library.
“Anyone can walk in,” said Myra Brown, founder and CEO of NWON. “We have touched over 400 people coming in for resume review, online job search, coaching, preparation, etc.”
She says what sets the program apart from other workforce agencies are the relationships they build, and the “tailored” opportunities they find for clients.
“And we take our time,” she said. “We're not acting as a staffing agency. It's really according to when the person is ready and if it's the right fit. That's the most important thing. We're not pushing anyone into a job because we have to, we're guiding them into an opportunity that makes sense for their lives.”
For Wheeler, who had a hard time finding the right opportunity due to re-entry challenges, that relationship has been an answered prayer.
“The challenge is that you can put forth your best foot, your best effort. And a lot of times you get the door slammed in your face. And all you're really wanting to do is make a positive impact. And you can't make up for any crime that you've committed. But you can try your very best,” he explained. “And sometimes it feels like I've done what you've asked me to do. And so now I want a chance. I want an opportunity.”
Brown says their mission is connection and access.
“We've found some wonderful individuals who have gone on to get great jobs and sustainable wages as well as benefits that they wouldn't normally have.”
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She says they have access to employment opportunities in childhood education, construction, legal and banking.
“We're also providing other resources — food services, clothing, access to, you know, bus fare to get back and forth,” she said. “We work with all of our community partners, like the Pennsylvania CareerLink, like the councilpersons’ offices, … to make sure that they can assist us if someone needs a Social Security card, … getting them and guiding them through that process and using all the resources that we have.”
The NWON program operates out of the Nicetown-Tioga Library on Mondays and Thursdays, 2 - 5 p.m. Brown says they post their events frequently on social media and welcome the surrounding community to take advantage of their services.