Goodwill's Another Way program to empower and employ BG homeless population

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A new program to combat homelessness has arrived in Bowling Green.

Beginning Tuesday, July 2, the Goodwill Industries Another Way program will travel to areas with a heavy presence of individuals experiencing homelessness to empower, and eventually employ, those individuals through an immersive work program.

In exchange for four hours of work cleaning trash, organizing picnic shelters and sanitizing restrooms at Bowling Green parks, those individuals will receive $50, a free lunch and access to the Goodwill Opportunity Center’s barrier reduction resources.

To find interested individuals, Goodwill’s outreach coordinator will travel in a small bus to areas known to service the homeless population, areas known for frequent panhandling and areas known to be frequent encampments.

“So, basically the program is designed to go and find the people that need our services, kind of like the news feed on your social media. So, these people want better, they just don’t know how to achieve it,” said Chad Spencer, the program’s director of career services.

In partnership with the City of Bowling Green, which has pledged $81,000 towards the program, the program will find four participants every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Each participant is allowed to ride the bus and take part in the program up to 10 times, though Spencer hopes to see lasting results far before then.

“We don’t want you to ride it 10 times, we want you to ride it two or three times, then get introduced to what you do out of here so that we can address that barrier of housing, that barrier of transportation, and legal issues,” Spencer said. “I have mental health partners here, that, if mental health is one of the barriers that someone is facing, I’m gonna introduce them to a mental health partner so that we can address them and help them get that. Again, everything we do here is tied to full-time employment with a self-sufficient wage.”

The program has seen success in Louisville so far, impacting over 1,500 individuals in its five years of operation. While Bowling Green will begin with only one bus, Spencer hopes to see that number grow in the coming years, provided a successful launch.

“Every person walking this planet has a gift. We just need to tap into it and get them interested in something that they like so that we can help them get that self-sufficient wage at an employment partner so that they can utilize the great community that we have here in Bowling Green,” Spencer said.

Those interested in participating are encouraged to meet at the Goodwill Opportunity Center at 1806 U.S. 31 W Bypass in Bowling Green, or the Salvation Army at 400 W. Main Ave. in Bowling Green.

The bus will leave the opportunity center by 8 a.m. to locate four participants by 9 a.m.