Christopher
The Workforce Connection was first introduced to Christopher Robare through a referral from the Rockford Rescue Mission. He was homeless and wanted to work in an office or customer service setting, but he lacked the experience. His previous work experience was in retail and factory work. He wanted to change careers. Living at the Mission and contending with Covid restrictions and lockdowns made the situation even more difficult.
Our first interactions were over Zoom, but even then, we could see that he was kind, bright, polite and driven to improve his situation. The Workforce Connection Career Center, which was within walking distance of the mission, hired him into the WIOA temporary work experience program as a Career Center Assistant WEX. He performed so well that when a full time Career Center position became available, he was hired to fill that role. His life challenges and positive attitude make him uniquely qualified to assist participants in the Career Center.
In Christopher’s own words:
“By going through the Work Experience program I was able to learn the office skills I had been lacking and unable to learn on my own, enabling me to be able to find employment, first as human resources at a security company and then being hired full time with The Workforce Connection as a Community Navigator. I was also able to get linked up with services allowing me to rent my own apartment, help paying for electricity through LIHEAP, and get connected with SNAP assistance for food.”
“With my job at The Workforce Connection, I am able to connect people with resources of their own to both help them through hard times and get them training or assistance with finding a job. It is my chance to give back to those who are in a similar or even worse position than I was at the time. I am grateful to be able to give back to the community in such a way.”