Homeless Shelter a Ready Source for Job Recruiters

Pamela Wallace is a 44-year-old single mother who for years worked full time in the office of a major recording studio.

She had benefits, made enough money to support her family and to maintain a nice apartment in North Hollywood.

But last year Wallace fell on hard times. She had severe health problems that required several operations, and her mother and sister died during that time.

Homeless after losing her job and apartment, she moved with her 4-year-old son Trae into the Sydney Irmas Transitional Living Center in North Hollywood.

On Wednesday, Wallace interviewed for a part-time job with clothing retailer Banana Republic. Seventeen fellow homeless people participated in the group interview, conducted by one of the retailer’s hiring and work development organizers.

Such large companies as Union Bank, Washington Mutual, Mervyn’s, Home Depot and Wal-Mart are regularly visiting homeless shelters in search of employees, said Tina Kerrigan, director of development for the L.A. Family Housing Corp., which runs the Sydney Irmas Center.

She added that small businesses have also hired from the shelter.

“Companies are finding out that homeless people aren’t shopping-cart people that can’t work,” Kerrigan said. “Most of them are intelligent adults willing to work, and they’re very employable.”

Sarah King, the Banana Republic recruiter who visited the Sydney Irmas Center, agreed, saying she has hired people from a shelter in Santa Monica and will probably hire from Wednesday’s North Hollywood group.

Candidates for a second interview will be chosen next week, she said.

With the California unemployment rate at 5.8% in November--a seven-year low--companies are looking beyond the usual sources for potential workers.

“Retail hiring is kind of tapped out in certain areas like college students, so we’re going into other areas to hire,” King said. “This will reflect our community and help people out.”

King questioned the group of men and women--most dressed in business suits--for about an hour and watched as they interacted.

They shared past job experience in a variety of areas, including entertainment, catering, child care and the garment industry.

Then King asked, “Besides money, what motivates you to work?”

One woman said she liked interacting with people, and another said she liked having a routine, something to look forward to.

When King asked what each person could bring to the table, one man immediately answered, “Confidence, reliability and dependability.”

Craig Bracey, the owner of Keystone Imaging Services, a North Hollywood computer supply company, said each of the five employees he has hired from the L.A. Family Housing Corp. possesses those qualities.

“That’s why I hire from there on a consistent basis,” he said. “It’s gone extremely well.”

Bracey said he turned to the shelter for employees because he could relate to many of the residents’ hardships.

“I was in the aerospace industry, and when I got laid off it was very difficult to find work,” he said. “If not for the helping hands of family and friends I would have been homeless, and I’m a single parent.

“I know what it’s like.”