ShelterCare's Supported Employment Program (SEP) has received a nice boost from a local company.
SEP provides our residents — who often struggle with homelessness and mental illness — with essential tools for entering or re-entering the workforce. The program aims to improve the quality of life for ShelterCare residents by facilitating their access to meaningful employment . To function successfully, SEP partners with local businesses that have both employment needs and a desire to contribute to our mission.
In this case, Minuteman Commercial Services — a full-service commercial janitorial company that provides cleaning services to businesses in Lane County — partnered with SEP earlier this year by hiring one of our residents.
"We were contacted by (ShelterCare) based on a Craigslist ad we had posted," said Minuteman President Paul Hoerauf, who operates the business along with his wife, Celena. "As a result of conversations and learning about your program, we were connected with a job seeker who has been a great addition to our company."
Paul said his company offers employment opportunities with flexible hours and on-site training while specializing in providing customized services based on customer needs. The business also assists with special cleaning requests, move-out cleaning, construction clean-up, hard floor care, carpet extraction, and window cleaning.
This work was an ideal fit for this particular ShelterCare client, Paul said.
"It is a win-win situation," he said. "We were looking for a good source for employees, and in doing so, were able to employ someone from your program."