From Marginalized to Mainstreamed: The HEART Project Empowers the Homeless

Abstract

The poor have traditionally been isolated from the mainstream of American society. Historically, they have been sequestered in ghettos, skid rows, and poor neighborhoods, as well as institutionalized in alms houses and debtors prisons (Katz, 1989). Increasingly, the homeless find themselves unable to secure housing and forced to live with friends or relatives, stay in public shelters, or camp under bridges and in public parks. The lack of a personal residence sets the homeless apart, isolates them from the rest of society, and makes it difficult or impossible for them to reenter the social mainstream. Access to needed social services becomes problematic because some social service agencies refuse to serve anyone who does not have a permanent address. Although many programs are currently in place to provide emergency food and temporary shelter, few efforts address the underlying issues of poverty, unemployment, and lack of social services that force individuals and families from their homes. Homelessness is part of the process of marginalizing the poor as well as the result of that marginalization. This article introduces researchers and practitioners to the Homeless Employment and Related Training (HEART) Project, a job training demonstration project targeted to the homeless. The HEART Project combined industry based skills training and job search assistance with intensive case management to aid the homeless in transitioning into the mainstream. This article describes the project, examines factors that contributed to the success of the program, and presents evidence that an integrated program of job skills training and job search assistance, combined with intensive case management, can benefit homeless individuals and their families. Implications for practitioners working with homeless individuals and families, as well as suggestions for future public policies, are presented. Homelessness, a dilemma with deep historic roots, is especially problematic in the postindustrial United States. The homeless are often perceived as insane, lazy, addicted individuals (Axelson & Dail, 1988; Blau, 1992) and, therefore, their poverty may be seen as a consequence of personal weaknesses rather than the result of the larger socioeconomic forces of unemployment, low wages, and lack of affordable housing (Axelson & Dail, 1988; Blau, 1992; Katz, 1989). Many of the homeless lack education and work skills. If they work, they are employed in low-paying service sector jobs or casual labor (Blau, 1992). This employment often does not pay a living wage, that is, enough money to secure the basic necessities of life including housing, food, clothing, and medical care. Individualism, work, and the work ethic are idealized in American culture. Since colonial times, those physically capable of work have been expected to provide for their own support and that of their families (First & Toomey, 1989; Wagner, 1994). In our capitalist economy, paid employment is the major source of support for most families. The modern poor, however, face a variety of structural barriers to gaining paid employment and improving their financial circumstances. In spite of these barriers to employment, the current political trend is to cut social benefits and reduce the safety net in an attempt to force individuals into the paid work force (O'Neill, 1993). Unfortunately, the goal of self-sustaining employment is rarely achieved by simply reducing welfare benefits and requiring poorly trained individuals to seek whatever employment is available. Although several government programs have linked job training and work search with welfare benefits, according to O'Neill (1993), these programs have not successfully reduced dependency on welfare assistance or poverty levels for two reasons. First, the training provided by these programs is very different from what is available on the job or in school. Second, these programs often do not train workers for jobs that pay enough to compete with the amount of money and services provided by government assistance. …