Hesed House program provides job training

Twenty-six-year-old April Benton was trying to maintain an apartment and support herself and her 2-year-old daughter on a job that paid $8.50 an hour when she landed in jail for two weeks for driving on a suspended license.

"I was barely making it," the Aurora woman said. "I was out of work for a month and behind on my bills. One slip and fall brought me down."

Benton was one of four graduates of a new employment skills program offered by Waubonsee Community College to residents of Hesed House homeless shelter in Aurora.

She and three other women attended class three to four hours a day for four weeks at Hesed House to learn proper interview techniques and how to create a resume. They began with inner searching.

"Doug (Szempruch, employee skills program coordinator) asked us if we wanted just to survive, or if we wanted to thrive," Benton said. "We were all just surviving, but we want to thrive.

"The program has given me confidence and a push to do better," Benton added. "I take responsibility for what I did, and I want to get back on track."

Benton still lives at Hesed House, but she plans to become a certified nursing assistant through a program at Waubonsee. Once employed, she can get a feel for nursing and decide if she wants to further her education.

The program is modeled after Inspiration Corporation, a program of the Chicago Jobs Council, and funded until June 30 on a $28,000 community development grant from the city of Aurora. Waubonsee officials are seeking additional funding.

Szempruch teaches the class in the morning and contacts potential employers in the afternoon. He also will serve as a job coach once a graduate is employed, helping out with any problems that might arise.

"It was a small group but a strong group," Szempruch said of the four women. "They were willing to talk about a lot of things and it helped the class grow."

"Doug was a really good teacher," said 23-year-old April Miles, a mother of three who has been at Hesed House for a month. "It helped us figure out career goals and where to go for more training."

Hesed House Executive Director Ryan Dowd researched the Chicago program and helped develop the new employment skills program. He wanted to add job training to other services offered at the center.

"It's a natural fit," Dowd said. "We work with the homeless and Waubonsee does job training."

There are currently about 250 residents at Hesed House.

Visit www.hesedhouse.org for information.