Keeping the Faith When Looking for Work

Church-Based Groups Offer Hope, Support To Those in Need

Twice a month, a half-dozen people meet at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Gaithersburg. The purpose of these Wednesday evenings isn't to pray. It's to give and take career advice.

"The leaders do a lot of attentive listening," said Rodolfo Contreras, who until recently was a pastoral associate at the church. They also help participants draft résumés and learn about job openings. Most important, though, the self-funded New Hope Job Search Support Group offers what its name conveys -- hope.

Job-support groups with faith roots have become increasingly common. Such groups, many of which are nondenominational, may pacify anxiety, experts say, while enabling members to make the transition from a lost job or find a better one. Generally, religious organizations back such groups because they fit into their missions of outreach and fellowship, even though participants don't have to belong to the house of worship.

Rina Pennacchia, a self-employed human resource management consultant in Annapolis, said she has watched the movement mushroom since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, which left many workers displaced and wondering where to turn for guidance.

"When you meet someone in a faith-based environment, people are very caring," she said. "They go out of their way to help you."

Pennacchia has heard that sessions led by Georgetown's Holy Trinity Church or other local congregations may draw upwards of 100 people.

The federal government is taking a more active position. In late June, the Labor Department awarded nearly $5 million in grants to 10 Workforce Investment Boards for partnering with faith-based and community organizations. The mission: to provide employment assistance and training to disadvantaged individuals.

"Faith-based and community groups reach into America's poorest neighborhoods to give a helping hand to those job seekers most in need," Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.

Another $1.2 million in grants was dispersed among 49 faith-based and community organizations. The groups work with ex-offenders, individuals with disabilities, job seekers facing language barriers, low-income residents and other disadvantaged workers.

Among the grant recipients was the Vienna-based SkillSource Group Inc., the nonprofit arm of the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board. On Jan. 11, it awarded a total of $327,000 to 15 grant recipients.

"This initiative is targeting high-poverty neighborhoods whose residents face formidable employment barriers," said Colleen Paletta, a coordinator at Workforce Organizations for Regional Collaboration in Washington. "Community and faith-based groups have gained the trust of these individuals and can help them overcome the barriers that stand between them and a new job."

The group, an affiliate of Goodwill of Greater Washington, was selected by the SkillSource Group to guide these partnerships.

David Hunn, president of SkillSource, said he hopes the money will be put to good use through training in high-demand fields such as health care, English-as-a-second-language programs and enhanced computer skills.

"In many cases, it can be a very nurturing and supportive role," Hunn said. "In other cases, it can simply be a provision of information to the faith consumer."

But preaching won't play a part. "We've been instructed quite strictly by the federal Department of Labor to make sure there's no proselytizing or affiliation with a specific religion," Hunn said. "When you're using public funds, of course, you need to make sure that it's openly accessible."

The Rev. Robert Moon, who serves on the SkillSource advisory council, was impressed with the quality of ideas flowing in from grant contenders. "We looked at how realistic the proposals were, and whether they were meeting the needs of helping people who have the greatest difficulty in finding jobs," he said.

Several proposals addressed language barriers and legal worker status. Others highlighted the importance of transportation, dress and business etiquette.

"Many of them dealt with improving a person's use of computer skills, particularly in the retail business and service industry," said Moon, executive director of Prince William Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, a Manassas social service agency.

These skills can make or break a worker who has to operate a computerized cash register or a touch screen to take restaurant orders. "At the street level, the programs that these grants sponsor will give the job seeker hope and confidence," Moon said.