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PAID WORK HELPS PREPARE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING.

All work performed by Ready, Willing & Able Philadelphia participants has multiple levels of significance:

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  • The rhythm of going to work each day establishes new routines for sustainable income

  • The culture of work gives participants a sense of purpose and belonging

  • Participants get credible job experience that helps them secure full-time employment

  • Money earned becomes the first step toward financial self-sufficiency

  • Participants' work directly benefits the city, which recognizes their contributions

  • Participants can take pride in their accomplishments, improving their self-esteem

Work works, when recovery works, first:

Ready, Willing & Able’s mantra has always been, “Work works.” The most visible part of our program is the Community Improvement Program, where our men don their uniforms and transform into The Men In Blue to clean sidewalks and public spaces in many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and business corridors. Getting back into a daily routine of waking up early, eating a good breakfast, showering, getting dressed in clean clothes, accomplishing tasks and assignments, and getting paid for one’s efforts – these are part of the path to re-organizing a life after chaos and unpredictability.

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Our Community Improvement Project

After 30 days in RWA, trainees start work that changes lives and improves our city. Trainees perform highly visible work, such as street cleaning or landscaping, and focus on building a work ethic as well as developing the "soft skills" of employment:

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  • Punctuality

  • Teamwork

  • Following instructions from supervisors

Our work in communities throughout Philadelphia

RWAP participants help keep neighborhood business corridors looking clean and attractive. We partner with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce's "Taking Care of Business" initiative, along with local business improvement districts, community development corporations, and neighborhood groups to remove litter and debris from busy sidewalks and streetscapes, five days a week. "The Men in Blue," dressed in their trademark bright blue uniforms, work in these locales:

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  • Fishtown, in partnership with the Fishtown Business Improvement District

  • Germantown, in partnership with Germantown United CDC

  • Haddington Mini Mall, in partnership with Mini Mall West Partnership

  • Mayfair, in partnership with the Mayfair Business Improvement District

  • Point Breeze, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and City Counil President Kenyatta Johnson

  • South Broad Street, in partnership with Avenue of the Arts

  • Tacony, in partnership with Tacony CDC

  • Wayne Avenue, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and Wayne Avenue Neighbors

 

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