Apply for Workforce First
If you think Workforce First may be a fit for you or a loved one, please contact our team for intake at
512-956-5582 or wffwaitlist@toofound.org.
What It Is
Workforce First is an alternative work program that offers people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to earn a living wage while being of service to their community. Participants engage in the work of large-scale environmental clean up and invasive species removal. Participants earn a dignified wage of $20 an hour and are provided lunch and transportation to the work site, as well as build resources and skills to break down barriers to stable housing and income.
How It Works
The program identifies eligible workers through a combination of partnering organizations, and our own street outreach. The only requirement to join the workforce first program is that an individual is experiencing homelessness, is over 18, and that they may otherwise be panhandling.
TOOF provides transportation, lunch, and pay at the end of every work day. Program participants are also offered case management and supportive banking services to help them save money.
By removing these barriers, and opening up access to work, we are taking the first step to regaining trust and building community with people who may have become untrusting or frightened of society and its systems.
Video by KXAN
What our friends think about WFF:
“What working for The Other Ones Foundation did for me, it instilled work values back in me that I had lost over the years of being homeless and living on the streets. And I found values that made me realize I didn’t want to be flying a sign ever again.”
“We were out in a park and they came walking up to us and said, ‘You wanna work?’ We said, ‘Heck yeah!’ It’s just been a blessing. I love the job: you get lunch, you get to work outdoors….Some days you just get lucky.”
