Helping Winnipeggers find jobs

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This article was published 17/12/2021 (1387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new thrift store set to open this February aims to create an inclusive and supportive environment where folks from different walks of life can develop the skills they need to join or rejoin the workforce.  
The Revive and Thrive Thrift Warehouse, located in a brick-red building at 1032 Logan Ave., will integrate its Ready, Set, Go! Work Program into day-to-day operations as an 1100-square-foot public-facing business.

The work program will be available to people living with mental and physical disabilities, those who have different learning requirements, or anyone who feels as though they aren’t currently job-ready.

“My big thing is inclusive for all — any marginalized group, or any person who needs that extra help,”

Janice Howard, the program’s founder and executive director, said. “It’s a program designed with people with different abilities in mind.”

A lack of time and resources for training is a major factor that keeps businesses from hiring people with mental and physical disabilities, Howard said. And she’s doing what she can do eliminate that barrier.

Howard — who lives in Windsor Park — and her team at Revive and Thrive Thrift Warehouse plan to provide up to 480 hours of individualized training for those who want to seek jobs outside the organization. Inside the store and receiving area, clients will learn hard skills, like making change and organizing stock, as well as soft skills such as customer service and marketing.

Students will be able to earn their WHMIS certificates through the non-profit and sit in on lectures from industry guests, too. Revive and Thrift Thrift Warehouse welcomes people ages 16 to 40 to sign up for the service.

“The employers will either be able to access our students on the website, or they can come in and meet students and do interviews on site,” Howard said.

This initiative is personal for Howard and her friend and volunteer Crystal Irvine. Howard is a parent to foster children who live with disabilities and has a biological child who’s on the autism spectrum; Irvine helps care for her young grandson who lives with a learning disability.

When the pair envision their kins’  futures, they see a need for more resources that bridge the gap between employment services and on-the-job training. Howard will work with a number of social service groups to connect with volunteers and future clients, including Trailblazers Life Choices, Connect Employment, and Macdonald Youth Services.

Apart from serving the local community, Revive and Thrive Thrift Warehouse plans to fly household items to remote Manitoba reserves.

As an Indigenous woman herself, Howard has designed the store to embrace First Nations culture. Visitors will have the option to smudge or speak with an Elder on-site. The store’s departments will be named after the animals representing the seven sacred teachings.

“The whole idea is to have a big, welcoming environment,” she said.

Howard is calling on community members to drop off donations of clothing and household items, as renovations on the Logan Avenue warehouse hum along. Donations can be dropped off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, or by appointment.

Go online at readysetgowork.com, email info@readysetgowork.com or call 204-333-9866 for more information.