People experiencing poverty and homelessness in the Puget Sound Region face major barriers to employment. Uplift Northwest (UNW) addresses these challenges through job training, supportive services, and employer partnerships, creating a clear path to stable employment. According to the Uplift Northwest Impact Report (2023), approximately 1,174 people joined their organization and worked a total of 205,197 hours through their staffing agency. Furthermore, their base pay for all positions started at $20 an hour, a rarity in today’s economic climate. At the end of 2024, they introduced the Roadmap to Independence and Sustained Employment (RISE) job training program. The new program aims to prioritize providing immediate supportive services for participants in their program, while increasing case management support to allow participants to feel confident once they graduate from the program.

Training for Workplace Success

UNW’s RISE Job Training Program provides 16 hours per week for 4 weeks of workplace skills training, conflict resolution, and job preparation. Graduates receive a $600 stipend, certificate, and job readiness resources, including resume-building and interview guidance. Case managers help address obstacles like housing and employment stability. In addition to these services, RISE participants can also sign up for a free eye exam, at their volunteer-run eye clinic, and receive snacks to replenish their energy before and after class.

Motivating Participants to Succeed

Many participants struggle with hopelessness and helplessness. UNW provides personalized mentorship and incentives, ensuring individuals stay engaged. The stipend and certification reinforce progress, while one-on-one case management builds confidence and goal-setting skills.

In the future, there are always ways to take steps further and get ahead of poverty and homelessness in the community. According to an article by a 2024 Reporting Fellow for the Pulitzer Center, Lilly Dietz (2024), one method was introduced in Finland with their Housing First initiative which not only addressed the housing crisis, but also targeted community stigma. Dietz (2024) pointed out that “where homeless people who have a lower risk rate are able to live in regular apartments scattered throughout the community, rather than in large, centralized shelters” (para. 6). Their approach addressed not only the homeless crisis but also ensured sustainability through community involvement. Uplift Northwest is helping their participants become self-sufficient. In the future, who knows how many more ways exist to improve our world.

Expanding Job Opportunities

UNW connects participants with temporary and limited temp-to-hire positions:

• Graffiti Removal Crew: Government-funded jobs at $21+ per hour, improving neighborhoods while providing meaningful employment.
• Temp-to-Hire: Employers can transition temporary workers into permanent roles. It’s up to the external company to decide who they would like to hire on permanently.
• Staffing Services: Reliable, trained workers for partner businesses, increasing employment prospects.

Addressing Key Challenges

While UNW successfully helps many participants transition into stable employment, several challenges remain:

• Long-Term Dependence on Services: Although some participants use UNW as a stepping stone, others remain reliant on its resources for many years. This issue extends beyond UNW and can contribute to concerns about funding sustainability for these services.
• Motivation Barriers: According to research by the Centre for Homelessness Impact (2021), understanding and relating to the mental health issues of people in poverty allow for better results with engagement and creating a safe, trusting environment. Many individuals face personal challenges such as a complex criminal background, domestic violence, substance abuse and more. Therefore, it is important to question: how can we further encourage and support individuals in achieving their goals?
• Funding Limitations: Like many nonprofits, UNW relies on external partners for financial support. However, funding remains limited, making it difficult to meet the growing needs of the community.

Impact and Long-Term Success

By addressing job-readiness, motivation, and employment opportunities, UNW helps participants gain financial stability. Graduates secure stable jobs, reducing reliance on temporary staffing. UNW’s work aligns with sustainable development goals, proving that workforce development is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

References

Uplift Northwest. (n.d.). 2023 uplift northwest. 2023 Uplift Northwest Impact Report. https://2023impactreport.upliftnw.org/

Dietz, L. (2024, August 23). A look into Finland’s Housing First Initiative. Pulitzer Center. https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/look-finlands-housing-first-initiative

Centre for Homelessness Impact. (2021, July). Improving access to health and social care: A systematic review. Retrieved February 15, 2025 from https://assets-global.website-files.com/59f07e67422cdf0001904c14/611bb126761e0ad8fabc096f_CHI_improving-access-to-health-and-social-care_systematic-review_2021.pdf

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Feb 13 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

People experiencing homelessness don’t just ‘choose’ to be in this situation. Economic mobility is a setup
when education fails to teach real-world survival skills. When it comes to homelessness, it’s easy for
society to blame the people who are living on the streets, but the reality is much more complicated. In
many countries, general education focuses on subjects like math and science, which are important, but
they don’t prepare people for the real-world challenges they’ll face. Adults living in poverty or
homelessness don’t need broad knowledge; they need practical tools that can help them survive in their
current situation. While policy reform plays a role in addressing homelessness, what’s really needed right
now is a bottom-up approach to education that helps those experiencing homelessness gain the skills they need to make it day-to-day.

Instead, society should prioritize a survival-based education model. This approach would focus on
teaching practical skills like financial literacy, job navigation, and housing stability—skills that people
can immediately use to move toward independence.

Why Basic Education Fails People Living in Poverty
Basic education often leaves people unprepared for the harsh realities of life, especially when it comes to
finances, jobs, and housing. Most schools don’t teach practical things like how to manage money or how
to find and keep a job. This is a big problem for people already struggling with poverty.
According to the United Nations, almost 1.8 billion people are living in inadequate housing worldwide
(UN-Habitat, 2021). At the same time, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. For
example, the richest 1% of the population now holds more than 40% of global wealth (Oxfam, 2023).
These statistics represent a world where many people are fighting just to get by.

Basic education systems don’t teach the skills people need to survive sustainably in an unequal world. As
Jain & Akomolafe (2016) stated, schools often tell students that their own ways of living are inferior,
forcing them to compete for a limited number of opportunities. But what’s really needed isn’t more
competition—it’s the ability to survive and make a living in tough circumstances. The focus should shift
from academic knowledge to teaching the real survival skills people need to get by in today’s world.

A Bottom-Up Approach to Education
Instead of waiting for policy changes or hoping things will improve on their own, society needs to adopt a
bottom-up approach. This approach focuses on meeting people where they are—teaching them the basics they need to survive today, so they can work toward a better future.
Education is more than looking in the future, but about using what’s learned to survive the present. A
bottom-up approach starts with the essentials: shelter, food, and safety. Once those needs are met, we can focus on teaching people how to improve their lives step by step.

Programs like those run by Habitat for Humanity in over 70 countries provide more than just affordable
housing—they also teach financial literacy and offer employment support, helping people get back on
their feet (Habitat for Humanity, 2023). This type of education goes beyond theory and directly addresses
the challenges people face in real life.

Does it Work?
A bottom-up education model works because it’s practical. It focuses on helping people survive in their
current situations while giving them the tools they need to build a more stable future. For example,
financial literacy programs can teach people how to budget and manage their money, while job readiness
programs teach practical skills like how to navigate the workplace and secure steady employment.
Housing support programs help people understand their rights and how to find safe and affordable
housing.

This approach doesn’t just teach people what they could do in an ideal world—it focuses on what they
can do today to improve their lives. By helping people take small, achievable steps toward independence,
we can make a real difference in their lives.

Any Problems?
Life is never that easy. Basic education isn’t enough to close the gap between poverty and stability, and
the economic gap between the rich and poor continues to grow. To truly address homelessness, we need
an education system that provides people with tools to survive their current circumstances and take
confident steps toward a better future.

By focusing on practical survival skills like financial literacy, job readiness, and housing stability, we can
give people experiencing homelessness the tools they need to rebuild their lives. Policy changes are
important, but a bottom-up education model can make a real impact right now.

References
Habitat for Humanity. (2023). How we help. Retrieved from https://www.habitat.org
Jain, M., & Akomolafe, B. (2016). Practitioner perspective: This revolution will not be schooled: How we
are collectively improvising a ‘new story’ about learning. In A. Skinner, M. B. Smith, E. Brown, & T.
Troll (Eds.), Education, Learning and the Transformation of Development (pp. 106-121). Routledge.
Oxfam. (2023). The unequal state of the world: The wealth gap. Retrieved from https://oxfam.org
UN-Habitat. (2021). The state of the world’s cities 2020-2021: Housing for all. United Nations Human
Settlements Programme. Retrieved from https://unhabitat.org