Persistence Pays Off - Homeless Veteran Success Story
Robert Swan is a US Marine Corps Veteran who enrolled in the Easterseals Oregon Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) in November of 2019 because he was at risk of homelessness. At the time, Robert was underemployed in a position that was scheduled to end in December of 2019 (one month later). Robert was seeking full-time employment in public services and/or management, and we were able to assist him in quickly finding a position with the Census Bureau. However, this position was ultimately not offering enough hours (10-20 hours per week) for Robert, and the position was suspended in March due to COVID-19. During this time, Robert remained enrolled in our program; however, he eventually expressed some dissatisfaction before deciding not to re-enroll in July of 2020.
A Second Try
As 2020 progressed, we hired several new staff members within our homeless veterans programs. In September of 2020, our new employment developer reached out to Robert in order to see how he was doing. At that time, Robert was enrolled with our veteran housing assistance program (Supportive Services for Veteran Families) though he continued to be unemployed. After his conversation with our employment developer, Robert decided to re-enroll in our employment assistance program.
Frustation Sets In
Upon re-enrollment, we were able to assist Robert in applying to multiple positions, several of which offered a first and second interview to Robert. Unfortunately, these initial opportunities did not offer Robert a permanent position, which left him feeling naturally dissatisfied and demotivated again. Robert began to consider hiring an external team to redo his resume despite some reluctance to accept the same assistance from our program.
Persistence Pays Off
Just when Robert’s hope was beginning to fade, he was offered a position with Community Services Consortium as a case manager (a position he had been informed about in October), making a respectable and livable wage. Robert was naturally relieved, excited, and energized by this new position. He has expressed his gratitude for the assistance of his employment specialist, and he has decided to remain in the program throughout the year of job-retention so we can assist and check in along the way. Robert continues to remain happy in his new position, and he has been working hard throughout his training period.
Awesome work, Robert! We’re proud and excited for you.
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