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Voice-mail program can help people find jobs, housing

By Marilyn Miller Beacon Journal staff writer POSTED: 12:24 p.m. EDT, Apr 06, 2009Tara Strickland of Akron was homeless, jobless and a single mother.It was hard to get a job because she didn't have a call-back phone number to give out.Strickland, 32, and her 12-year-old son lived in a shelter.Today she has a job and has moved into a new apartment — thanks, in part, to the Community Voice Mail initiative.Community Voice Mail Summit works with nonprofit partner agencies to provide voice-mail boxes that users can check any time of theday or night.Strickland said the voice-mail program not only helped her land a job, but also has become a vital part of her life.''It has helped me out so much,'' Strickland said. ''It helps me with doctor's appointments, to keep up with my son in school in case theschool needs to get in touch with me, to pass on information from the agency and for work.''I've been called into work early several times.''Strickland said voice mail also helped her find new housing.''I needed a way for potential landlords to get ahold of me,'' she said. ''It helped me find an apartment. I just moved.''Strickland was the first one in Summit County to sign up for the program. She was introduced to the service through H.M. LifeOpportunity Services, where she first sought help two years ago.The agency provides housing and teaches life skills, money management and job-seeking skills. The service has had a contract withCommunity Voice Mail Summit since January.Cassandra Boston, 36, of Akron, was also homeless and a single mother. She was living in a shelter with her 2-year-old and9-year-old and was pregnant with a third child.In December she also went to H.M. Life Opportunity Services.She has had Community Voice Mail for nearly three months now.She has a land-line telephone, but can't afford any features.''It's a life-line phone with just the basics,'' she said. ''I can't afford any extras, like voice mail or long distance.''The program offers voice mail as a way for those who are homeless or making a low income to get the messages that can lead to a job or apartment.The caller hears the recorded voice of the applicant, just as if the caller had reached a home phone.While Strickland has landed a job, Boston is still looking. In the meantime, she is working on her GED, the high school equivalentdiploma.Boston has been unemployed since April, when the Barberton plant where she had worked for eight months closed. She was unableto pay her rent and utility bills, and she and her children ended up in a shelter.''I want to complete my GED, get a job and take care of my kids,'' Boston said. ''I hope to further my education by going to Akron U or a community college.''I have a lot of determination, and when given the tools, I can do the footwork.''

Ohio.com - Voice-mail program can help people find jobs, housinghttp://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Ohio.com...1 of 24/7/2009 8:42 AM