Adult Education: A Way Out of Poverty

Posted on July 29, 2019

A Chat About Job Training with Charysse Hairston and Spring Abney

One job can make all the difference in lifting a family out of poverty.

At TAP, when we sit down to work with someone who needs a job, we don’t just work to get them any job. We help people land good jobs—ones that pay strong wages with benefits.

But these jobs usually require specific skills and education. That’s why we’ve taken the time to identify jobs in our area that are in demand, pay good wages, and that people can train for in a relatively short amount of time.

Charysse Hairston and Spring Abney both work in our adult education programs and recently spoke with us about how the right job training can be life-changing.

Q: What goals are you are trying to achieve with each person who comes to you for job training?

A: Our main focus is on getting people into better employment. We help them to think about their futures, where they want to see their families, and what’s going to get them there. To make sure we’re aiming for realistic jobs and setting people up for success, we do individual career plans with each person.

Q: Do you change your career track offerings based on market demand?

A: Yes, we keep an eye on the job market, because if a person’s goal is to grow his or her income, we want to make sure there’s a position for them at the end of the training.

Q: What kinds of supports do you provide to help make it possible for people to train? How important are these supports to their success?

A: Often the barrier to training is child care. One of our grants allows us to provide childcare assistance to many of our adult education students, and the majority of the people we work with could not do any type of training or get a better career without this support.

Another unique thing we provide is transportation support in the form of bus passes or gas cards.

Q: Can you talk about the quality of the jobs that people can reach through these programs, compared to their other employment options?

A: Right now we are training people for middle-skill careers in healthcare, IT, or manufacturing. We want people to earn more than $11 an hour, and right now most people completing our program are able to earn in the $13 – $16 range. You can go work at some retail stores or fast food without any experience, and you will be able to make minimum wage or even up to $10 an hour. But to move up in income you have to have some type of training.

Q: When somebody supports these adult education programs, what kind of impact are they making on our community?

A: Our supporters are helping to change the mentality and lives of the people we serve. A lot of people, after training with us, decide they will keep moving forward, and they go back to school to become a registered nurse or earn an advanced manufacturing certification. Supporting TAP’s training programs helps get people beyond the job mindset and into a career mindset of being passionate about what they are doing.

Click here to learn more about TAP’s adult education and training programs.

Six Questions with JoAnne Carter of TAP Virginia CARES

Posted on June 21, 2019

Case Manager JoAnn Carter is a big part of our Virginia CARES program’s ability to nurture good habits and lasting changes. She sat down to answer some of our questions about the work, what keeps participants from losing hope, and how to make a lasting impact on someone’s life.

Q: Let’s start with the basics—who participates in the program, and what problem does Virginia CARES solve for its participants?

A: Virginia CARES participants are people who were incarcerated and are either about to get out or are within their first year of having been released.

Sometimes it’s people who have no family, or maybe they’re not getting along with their family. Our main job is getting them to where they’re self-sufficient and independent.

Many don’t have computer or even cell phone experience. They don’t have the skills and the training [to find good jobs], and that’s what we provide.

Q: So what are some of specific things the program can do to help people become independent when they have so many things to think about at once?

A: It all starts with the question, ‘How can I help this person?’ Well, certainly people need different things.

We can give them single and monthly bus passes to get to work, we can get them a cell phone or a cell phone card, work clothes. When rent’s a problem, sometimes we have security deposit or first month’s rent assistance, if they’re having a hard time getting that together.

We get participants together for a peer group to focus on real life issues, or we work one-on-one with them.

We do coaching and mock interviews to help them learn how to correctly complete applications, write a cover letter, create a résumé, apply online, and prepare for interviews. And when we do mock interviews, sometimes it’s one-on-one, and sometimes it’s a panel interview.

One of the biggest things, though, is connecting them to other resources.

Q: What kinds of other resources?

A: We refer out for substance use or mental health services and also to employer partners.

Q: What’s something a lot of people don’t know about, or don’t necessarily think about?

A: One thing the participants don’t always know about is the court costs. So we bring the clerk in from the courthouse to talk to the participants about those.

We also bring in folks from Freedom First to do budgeting classes, covering how to set up an account, how to budget for when things are due, and how to set goals. We have eight clients who have saved up to get cars, right now.

Q: How many clients do you work with?

A: We have 169 right now.

Q: What’s the most important part of your job?

A: I don’t want them to lose hope! The need is so great, and it pushes me to come to work every day. I love coming to work and I love my participants. The ultimate goal, though, is for them to push themselves.

Click here to find out more about our Virginia CARES program. 

“My life started to turn around when I went to Fathers First.”

Posted on June 4, 2019

Walter is a Fathers First alumnus, and he says that coming to TAP changed his life.

As Walter puts it, “My life before I became a dad was just a bunch of drugs. I didn’t care about anything at all.” That changed when a friend recommended he check out a TAP program that helps fathers build better relationships with their children. By using the tools the program offered, Walter got back on track to being the person and the father he knew he could be.

Looking back on his time in the program, Walter characterizes Fathers First as something that “opens doors for people and helps you to make a step up.” His description of how the program enables its clients to grow and build their skills echoes the way he talks about letting his children experience the sometimes frustrating and painful process of learning and growth for themselves.

Being a parent means needing to know when to step in, and when to hold back. Walter acknowledges that holding back isn’t his natural instinct and that it’s not always easy watching his kids in their struggles to learn and to grow. “The best part about being a dad is trying to be there for them,” Walter says. “Their first steps, if they have a problem you want to fix it for them right away. It’s an emotional battle because you know that they have to do it by themselves.”

Ultimately, he has come to view that delicate balance as a valuable experience for him and his children. He notes, “It’s a wonderful feeling just to be there with them while they’re going through that.”

There’s no doubt that parenting is hard work but it is truly rewarding. Fathers First creates an honest, supportive environment that gives our clients the tools to become the best parents they can be. We invite you to be part of making healthy, responsible parenting that builds resilient, independent children happen throughout our community.

Become a volunteer mentor, donate to keep building the program, or share the program with someone you think is ready to make the step up. We can all be part of building better communities, one family at a time.

Find out more about the program on our website and on Facebook.

Roanoke’s Voice: Finding Their Voice

Posted on May 1, 2019

Finding Their Voice
The real meaning behind Roanoke’s Voice

While we’re having a great time preparing for the second annual Roanoke’s Voice, we also want to take time to reflect on the real meaning behind the event.

Roanoke’s Voice is meant to be fun and lighthearted, yet its purpose is serious—money raised at this event will go directly toward helping survivors of domestic abuse, just like Leah in the video above.

Help the next survivor find his or her voice. Donate or find out how our programs can help.

See You on the Court! Using pickup basketball to build trust

Posted on March 29, 2019

When the Salvation Army’s New Day Center opened its doors last July, no one imagined how important games of pickup basketball would become.

The Salvation Army founded the New Day Center as a drop-in center for young adults aging out of the foster care system, experiencing homelessness, or at risk of sex trafficking. It’s there that some of the most vulnerable young people in the Roanoke Valley are able to eat a hot meal, take a shower, do laundry, and connect to resources to help them set and meet their goals.

The need is great

Melissa Gish, the New Day Center program manager, says that when the center opened in July, the Salvation Army had hoped to serve 13 people in the first year—they ended up serving 154. Almost everyone served by the center so far has had some type of criminal justice involvement.

For young adults trying to gain a foothold out in the world, the years from 18 to 24 are critical. Trying to accomplish goals relies as much on stability as it does on skill. Finding a job takes persistence, employable skills, and a bit of luck; keeping that job requires a lot more emotional and social stability, which means addressing underlying barriers as directly and comprehensively as possible. The New Day Center provides stability, while our Young Adult Life Enhancement (Y.A.L.E.) program provides a pathway for justice-involved young adults to find and keep good jobs.

On the surface, Y.A.L.E. and New Day Center exist to address radically different problems. In reality, the problems are intertwined. While addressing underlying barriers can seem straightforward, doing so requires that both programs have a deep understanding of the nature that trauma plays in human development and emphasize the practice of meeting each client where they are, both physically and emotionally. And sometimes, meeting clients where they are requires some creativity.

On Fridays, Y.A.L.E. staff use their lunch break to drive the five minutes down the road to the New Day Center where they use the Center’s gym to play pickup basketball with whoever wants to join. The no-pressure interaction for New Day Center participants has resulted in about 20 new Y.A.L.E. participants so far.

Setting Goals

“We help them set job goals, family and relationship goals, educational goals,” explained Y.A.L.E. Program Coordinator Randy Russell, noting that they make goals along varying intervals from 30–60 days, to six months, to a year, and beyond. Y.A.L.E.’s long-term focus also involves helping rewrite the negative narratives that clients sometimes cultivate about themselves, guiding them toward understanding what causes them to lose their temper, how they can overcome distractions, and how their biggest life goals can be broken down into a series of small steps.

Trust is Everything

For Melissa, success looks like her clients “consistently showing up because they trust us, and they’re safe.” There’s no doubt that the basketball-based outreach is an embodiment of both. And the ability to build trust with responsive and face-to-face interactions is what helps make it possible for clients to go from facing homelessness to being ready to focus on their careers in such a short span of time.

Find out more about our Youth Employment programs here.

Are you ready for Roanoke’s Voice?

Posted on March 1, 2019

A night of singing, celebrities, and delicious food. No, the Grammys are over—we’re talking about singing competition and fundraiser Roanoke’s Voice. This annual event is coming up on May 30, and this year there’s a new twist! We recently caught up with the director of TAP Domestic Violence Services and the organizer of Roanoke’s Voice, to find out the details of this year’s event: 

For those who don’t know, what is Roanoke’s Voice?

Roanoke’s Voice is southwest Virginia’s premier musical talent competition. It features performances by top singers from southwest Virginia and local celebrities showing off hidden talent. This year, it will once again be hosted at the Jefferson Center.

Why does TAP host this event?

All proceeds from Roanoke’s Voice benefit families and victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence. TAP’s Domestic Violence Services—including Sabrina’s Place, the region’s only supervised visitation and safe exchange program for families—provides safety and crisis intervention for survivors of abuse.

What does the event include?

May 30 will be a night full of talented singers competing to be named Roanoke’s Voice. This year, anyone can compete—you can watch the area’s best singers and musicians battle some of your favorite local celebrities for the title! Tickets start at $30 and include delicious food catered by popular local restaurants and a cash bar provided by the Jefferson Center. A VIP experience is also available.

What does a VIP ticket include?

The VIP ticket includes a tour of the backstage area, a private VIP room where you can mingle with the performers (and get autographs!) while enjoying a complimentary catered and bar services, and a personal souvenir. The VIP ticket also provides the best seats in the house and an up-close experience during the show!

You said that anyone can compete. How?

We’re putting out a casting call to all of southwest Virginia’s talented singers. Just post your audition video to the Roanoke’s Voice Facebook page between March 25 and April 3 with the hashtag #RoanokesVoice2019. A poll will be set up on the event page where family, friends, and fans can vote for their favorite performer. Winners will be chosen based on vocal talent and number of votes and will be invited to compete in the main event on May 30.

How can I compete if I don’t have a Facebook account or participate in social media?

This year, only Facebook entries will be allowed. Please consider setting up a temporary account for the contest that can be deleted later.

I don’t sing, but it sounds like a great night. How do I get tickets?

Tickets are on sale now at the Jefferson Center box office at 541 Luck Avenue or online at jeffcenter.org/roanokes-voice2019. Please come out to watch an entertaining competition, cheer on your favorite local singers, and support a good cause.

Find out more about this event and to read the audition guidelines here!

Free child care while you train for a new career

Posted on February 14, 2019

SwiftStart, one of our adult education programs, works with parents to build brighter futures by offering things like free child care and:

• Paid training in one of three career tracks (health care, information technology, or advanced manufacturing)
• Free, quality child care while parents train for their new careers
• Ongoing support after graduation to help parents find jobs and succeed in their new careers.

Watch this video to hear from real SwiftStart participants about how this program changed their lives:

For more information, contact us at 540.819.9644 or carolyn.coles@nulltapintohope.org.

TAP Financial Services: Here to Support Our Community

Posted on January 31, 2019

Did you know TAP has a financial services division? Our services help low-income families and individuals achieve financial goals and wealth-building strategies such as home ownership or starting a business.

Some of the ways TAP Financial Services has helped in our community:

•  Free Tax Clinic:

  Last year, our Tax Clinic brought a total of $1,302,960 in tax returns back to the community while saving the taxpayers $201,200 in preparation fees. We brought together IRS-trained & certified tax-prep volunteers whose expertise helped double-check each tax return, resulting in a 100% accuracy rating. If your annual household income is less than $54,000, or you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), let us help make sure you get all of the refunds and credits you’re eligible for. Contact Teffany at 540.283.4916 or teffany.henderson@nulltapintohope.org to arrange an appointment.

• Business SEED:

  Through Business SEED, we’ve loaned over $3.7 million to businesses in the Roanoke Valley, assisted over 100 start-up businesses, and created 475 jobs. We also help clients hone and strengthen their business plans, helping bring their visions to life. Contact Curtis Thompson at 540.283.4915 or curtis.thompson@nulltapintohope.org.

• Housing Counseling:

  Critical to helping families generate stability and begin to grow savings and wealth for the long run is our Housing Counseling program. Our free services help families who are thinking about buying their first home or already own a home but are in danger of foreclosure. Contact Ashton at 540.283.4917 or ashton.fallen@nulltapintohope.org.

Learn more about all of TAP’s financial services here.

It Takes A Community: Vernon, Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation client

Posted on December 31, 2018

No running water.
No bathroom.
No electricity.

Vernon Gilbert spent nearly seven decades living under these conditions. Now, thanks to dozens of helping hands in the Mountain Valley community and TAP’s Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation (IPR) program, he’s living comfortably in a brand new home.

Living Without Modern Conveniences

Nicknamed “Koonny Frog” as a child because of his fondness for playing with frogs, Vernon grew up with his four siblings in a two-room wheatpacking house built in the 1930s. His family heated it using a wood stove in the bedroom, kept food cold in coolers, filled water jugs at a neighbor’s house, and used an outhouse. Despite these inconveniences, Vernon remained in the house until late 2016, when he fell while going outside to use the restroom.

Friends and Neighbors Making a Difference

That’s when friends and neighbors decided that Vernon, now 70, shouldn’t be chopping wood to stay warm or filling and transporting 30 milk jugs to have water. A friend, Rick Carter, heard about TAP’s IPR program and called to tell Vernon’s story. “Rick was always saying that we ought to get together to do something for Vernon because he was always doing for the neighborhood…Some of the people didn’t have any idea the conditions he was living in…when they saw the conditions he was living in, [they] couldn’t hardly believe it,” explained Vance Johnson, Vernon’s neighbor who, along with his wife Gayle, was instrumental in the project’s coordination.

An Unusual Step

Everyone agreed it was time for their friend Koonny Frog to have a new home. There was just one problem: Vernon’s house was so dilapidated that it wasn’t feasible to simply add indoor plumbing. Our IPR program would have to take the unusual step of constructing a new house, and program guidelines placed hefty constraints on the planned replacement. The community swung into action. Neighbors Jesse and Lucile Shelton donated land for the new house’s site. Rick Carter’s brother Mike came out of retirement to act as the project’s general contractor, using his expertise to negotiate lower materials costs.

A Community Pulls Together

Community members donated furniture and volunteered to work on the construction crew. A crowd-funding campaign raised thousands of dollars, allowing Vernon to relocate to safer housing immediately. The remaining money was used to include items in his new house that IPR money couldn’t pay for. Vernon’s new 758-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom house was completed in June 2017, and he was given the keys in a ceremony that allowed him to thank the community that supported him. “I don’t have to worry about getting wood. I don’t have to worry about going to get ice, toting water up the hill. All that stuff,” he noted, ever grateful.

Enjoying a New Life

Now he is enjoying his new amenities, including solar panels and net metering that allow unused power to be returned to the grid and reimbursed by the power company. For someone whose income consists of very little from Social Security and who used to spend $200 per month on ice to refrigerate food in coolers, the savings add up. When asked about his favorite part of his new home, Vernon immediately got up to show off the room that houses his “jukebox” and his collection of bluegrass CDs. A large photo of the old wheatpacking house hangs in the living room. Never one to stray far from his roots, Koonny Frog can still be found around IT TAKES A COMMUNITY Vernon, Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation client Vernon shares one of his many family photo albums with Liz, a TAP employee. Vernon and Vance, his neighbor, talk outside of Vernon’s home.

“They just took pride in him.”

As of July 2018, Vernon will have lived one full year in his new home. town helping his neighbors with anything and everything. And they have been busy teaching him how to use modern conveniences. “I’ve had a couple tears come to my eyes because of the community, the support that he has around him,” said IPR program manager Liz Puckett. “You know, you take a man that’s never operated an oven or a stove or a washer or dryer and has never had any of those necessities that we take for granted… It was touching to see this older gentleman that’s never had anything to all the people [teaching] him how to wash clothes, how to dry his clothes, how to fix the thermostat correctly. They just took pride in him. They put him under their wing and guided him.”

Click here to find out more about the Indoor Plumbing and Rehab program at TAP. 

Introducing: TAP Books Donation Program

Posted on December 4, 2018

Don’t let your books end up in the landfill—donate your books to TAP!

Our book donation program sells books online to support our mission, provides free books to people participating in our programs, and creates jobs in our community.

Get Involved

Click here to find out more about this program and how you can be involved.

For more information or to schedule pick up of a large donation, please contact us at books@nulltapintohope.org or 540.358.1079.

From Homeless to College Bound: Ryan, YouthBuild student

Posted on November 30, 2018

For most kids, turning 18 is a celebration, a time of transition and experiencing tastes of independence with parental support. However, for thousands of kids across the country, turning 18 signifies “aging out” of foster care, meaning they are too old to stay in care and must make it on their own. According to national studies, only half of those aging out find secure employment by age 24 and only 4% earn a college degree by age 26. One in five of these young adults become homeless. Homeless youth face many challenges.

They may have a hard time staying in shelters due to shelter policies, and often experience depression, poor health, and poor nutrition. Most (75%) drop out of high school. Without shelter, transportation, or education, they have difficulty supporting themselves financially and turning things around. This year, our YouthBuild program started with a cohort of 15 participants, four of whom were homeless.

Aging Out of Foster Care

Ryan Gravely was one of those participants after aging out of the foster care system. He had been referred to TAP after staying at the Salvation Army’s men’s shelter and then the Roanoke Rescue Mission. “He was quiet at first, but there was something that just made you like him immediately,” said Scott Liptrap, TAP’s youth programs manager at the time. Staff from our Homeless Educators Linking Providers and Services (HELPS) program immediately began looking for a place Ryan could stay. HELPS assists homeless individuals, primarily youth, in Roanoke find housing and secure employment.

As part of their search, program staff began contacting our community partners, and Police Chief Tim Jones recommended Least of These Ministries, operated by Dawn Sandoval. Dawn worked tirelessly to find a place for Ryan, even offering to pay for a hotel at one point.

A Place to Call Home

When she finally found him a room on Good Friday, Dawn greeted Ryan at his new home with bags full of essentials for his first time being on his own. Facing a completely new situation, the reality of living independently set in. He had never had a place to call home. Would he get along with his roommates? What were the expectations? “I was nervous,” Ryan said. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever had before.” In the meantime, Ryan joined 14 other students in YouthBuild, a national program that trains youth ages 16 to 24 in construction trades.

Education and Training

Participants also receive training in career, technical, and leadership skills in the classroom and on the worksite. Additionally, if the participants do not have a high school diploma, they are enrolled in a GED preparation course. With a place to call his own, Ryan is flourishing. He received his GED in weeks instead of the usual six months, and he will soon graduate from YouthBuild with a pre-apprenticeship certification in green construction. With an opportunity that he couldn’t have imagined a few years ago, Ryan is going to follow his fascination with the mysteries of the ocean and study marine biology at Virginia Western Community College.

“It would have been easy for him to give up, but he’s tough,” said Scott. “He’s bright, and he’ll do well in college.”

Many in Ryan’s position never find or take advantage of the network of community services available. In Ryan’s case, the Salvation Army, Rescue Mission, Roanoke Police Department, Least of These Ministries, and TAP all played a role.

“Don’t be shy to ask for help. People will help.”

“Don’t be shy to ask for help. People will help. The staff at TAP will do anything,” Ryan advises. “And just keep your head up. Never look at things negatively, or things will always be negative.” Many who have met Ryan attribute his success to his perseverance and optimism. With these traits, Ryan’s future looks bright. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll write a book about the Bermuda Triangle and the Mariana “ Trench,” he said.

Click here to find out more about our youth employment programs.

Starting Over and Thriving: John, Virginia CARES client

Posted on November 30, 2018

It was getting late on an August Friday in 2011, in Covington, Virginia. All John LaFlamme had in the world were the clothes on his back and a copy of his high school diploma. He had no car, no home, no family in the area, and no ID. He had just been released from prison.

Time was not on John’s side.

Within a few short months he would either successfully become a stable member of the community or he would fail to meet his parole requirements and end up back in prison.

Leslie Matney, who was at the time the district’s chief of probation and parole, recalled that the first afternoon, the scope of the tasks that John needed to accomplish in a short amount of time was daunting.

The challenges extended as far into John’s future as she could see. “He owed thousands of dollars in court costs,” Leslie pointed out. “He was stuck in the Catch-22 of not being able to afford a permanent address without a job and not being able to get a job without being able to list a full-time address,” she said.

Finding work was another challenge

The Great Recession made getting a job extremely difficult. When John got out, it seemed no one was hiring. However, despite the employment opportunities in Covington being more limited than perhaps might have been the case in a larger city, there were also opportunities in Covington that would prove crucial to John’s success story. Many returning citizens like John exit prison without a support network. For them, the sink-or-swim nature of release makes the challenge to find the right tools critical.

Luckily, John Found Help

To connect returning citizens to the services and resources that already exist, Virginia created local Reentry and Community Collaboration Councils. The councils brought together state, local, private, and community-based organizations to make better use of existing resources. Ultimately, they help returning citizens build their skills, practice good habits, and keep their positive momentum to improve their chances of gaining good jobs and remaining out of prison permanently.

Upon his release at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday, within an hour, John had obtained a temporary place to stay at a motel and met up with TAP Virginia CARES’ Lawrence St. Clair. The two talked about the obstacles facing John and began to connect. John began to work with our Virginia CARES staff regularly and attended the computer classes and the Thinking for a Change program there. He volunteered. He used all the tools that CARES offered to turn his hard work into tangible results.

Slowly, John gained momentum. Through his volunteering in the community, he made a connection with Debbie Barber of Motor-Vation Lawn Care, who hired him part-time and taught him landscaping. With a work history and references on his applications, John eventually found full-time employment with benefits. He went from staying in a motel to renting a small garage apartment, which he renovated, to owning the house in front of the garage apartment.

Thriving Today

Today, he is active in the faith community and serves as a board member for Virginia CARES, Inc.—where he continues to work alongside former Chief of Probation and Parole Leslie Matney. Reflecting on John’s progress and his role on the CARES board of directors, Leslie summarized the value of John’s progress as a source of experience and encouragement for the whole organization: “To have John’s perspective, to have that voice on our board is so valuable.”

When asked about the key to his success, John’s answer is almost a perfect mirror image of Leslie’s. Her career in probation and parole and its lessons of building a community of support for returning citizens have led her to conclude that “it takes a village” to help formerly institutionalized people. John, meanwhile, reflected on his story and what he most often shares with those he mentors now: “Nobody can do it by themselves.”

Click here to find out more about our Virginia CARES program.