Man with red shirt

Lasting self-sufficiency

Our House helps people keep their homes through job training, career counseling and ongoing support

For folks struggling to get by, the threat of losing your home is a constant fear and a periodic reality. At the Little Rock nonprofit Our House, the core mission for more than 30 years has been helping residents of central Arkansas who have lost their homes — or who are at risk of doing so — succeed at work. Through its Career Center, the organization assists adults in finding jobs, building careers and achieving lasting self-sufficiency. “Our House empowers homeless and near-homeless families and individuals to succeed in the workforce, in school and in life through hard work, wise decision-making and active participation in the community,” says Executive Director Ben Goodwin.

With job training and educational support, the Career Center prepares clients for above-minimum-wage positions in fields such as the culinary arts, commercial-vehicle driving and health care. Once placed, participants receive on-going support as well as access to courses in financial literacy and physical and mental wellness. The coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on the Our House community — 65% of the members lost their jobs or saw their hours reduced, and more than two-thirds reported increased stress because of health concerns, financial insecurity and social isolation. “Every family we serve was affected in profound ways by the disruptions, compounding the difficulty of making a successful journey out of homelessness,” Goodwin notes.

Our House is expanding job training services to meet the added demand, helped by a grant from Bank of America. Over a three-year period, Our House is enhancing its virtual resources, expanding career-reentry training programs and building a race-equity culture at the organization. “Despite all the challenges they face, we know that our clients have tremendous drive and ability to make amazing contributions to our community,” Goodwin says, “and we appreciate Bank of America sharing this vision.”

The support for Our House is an example of Bank of America’s commitment to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity in local neighborhoods around the country. From entrepreneur funding and expanding home ownership to professional skills training and healthcare access, Bank of America continues to partner with innovative leaders to help communities implement solutions to society’s biggest challenges.

7/30/2021

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