Success Story:
Homeless and Helpless to Employed and Happy
Ken, West Virginia
Meet Kenneth, a 58 year-old veteran who served his country. Ken has been homeless off and on since July of 2015. He once had a good job working for the government as a master electrician. One day he decided to quit his job with the government and he immediately turned to drinking – which resulted in his losing everything. Ken felt like he’d thrown his life away and like he was done with everything. In July of 2017, he realized he needed to get his life back on track, so he entered the VA Medical Center’s program for treatment for his alcohol addiction.
With Telamon’s assistance, Ken really turned his life around!
In the fall of 2018 Ken learned about Telamon during a staff member’s outreach visit to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Ken quickly scheduled an appointment with Telamon and was introduced to the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) at that first meeting. Ken was excited to find that something was available in the community to help people get back on track. Working with the Telamon staff in the HVRP program, Ken developed a resume and received coaching. With this support in place, Ken applied for many jobs. He successfully obtained full-time employment with Cargill, Inc. located in Broadway, VA and started to work in December 2018 – just 3 months after he’d entered the program. Cargill, Inc. provided temporary housing and transportation to get Mr. Culver from Martinsburg, WV to his job in Virginia. Ken has received several paychecks and is currently saving money to get an apartment of his own and purchase a car. Mr. Culver says that since obtaining a full-time job and earning money he feels like he has his life back on track, and he has once again a sense of self-esteem. What a far way he has come!
Telamon-TRC’s Workforce & Career Services encompasses a broad array of customized work readiness and job skill training programs, focusing on helping farmworkers, veterans, and youth who seek to build skills and career paths. Work readiness and job skill development are often supplemented by language services (ESL), educational support (GED) and includes one-on-one counseling, group workshops and supportive services.
Since 1965 Telamon-TRC has helped individuals like you access services that lead to better jobs, better lives, and better communities. Find a Workforce & Career Services program near you today.
