Removing barriers: How Corners Workforce Academy and Staffing With a Purpose work to end the cycle of poverty through meaningful employment
Last October, pizza delivery driver, Armando arrived at Corners Outreach with lunch for some of the staff. He left with life-changing opportunities.
He met Billy Torres, Recruiting Director for Corners Staffing with a Purpose. He shared a little about Corners programming and gave Armando his number and encouraged him to call. He followed up and Billy proudly offered. “Fast forward, he is now making $7 more dollars an hour in a full-time job with benefits — 401K, bonuses, everything you could think about.” In addition to his full-time “he’s planning to attend English classes and get his GED in that process.”
Through that pizza delivery, Armando was also connected to both Corners Workforce Academy and Staffing With a Purpose, companion programs within Corners Outreach that together provide mentorship, education, training and career placement to help break the cycle of poverty in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
Jacinto Hall, Workforce Development Director for Corners Outreach, said “poverty is often a result of not understanding the opportunities that are available to overcome the barriers to career-focused employment. By providing the necessary education and skill development, Corners can move participants in its programs from low-wage jobs into long-term careers.”
This transition starts with an orientation to understand the individual and their needs. Fostering a relationship built on trust is critical to Corners’ success.
“One of the things we really hone in on is just providing a sense of belonging,” Jacinto said. “Because once you feel you belong somewhere, then you can really talk and we really can help. There’s a barrier? Let’s see how we can overcome it.”
Once those barriers are identified, participants can enroll in Workforce Academy’s many services including ESL, GED, Soft Skills, and Financial Literacy. The program also helps with vocational certifications. All may participate in food distribution and resources support. Corners provides peer mentors to further ensure a client’s success.
Clients ar not limited to one service. Jacinto said. “If they’re in a GED program, at the same time they could get help with their soft skills, or they can participate in mock interviews.” The goal is to provide the training so that they can be placed in jobs with a liveable wage with income potential to be financially stable.
Language is a common barrier to increasing income.
Corners offers classes four levels of English class four nights a week from basic to Level 3. The goal is for participants to move up to Level 2 so that they are ready for the workforce. “Once we get to Level 2 or Level 3, we can start talking about jobs,” said Jacinto.
Recently, a woman came through their program who was working on an assembly line but wanted to move into an office manager role. “All her credentials were there, but her English was lacking,” Jacinto said. “So she came into our program, and within six months she was able to get that position in the office.”
Jacinto said he is proud to be helping people like her change the trajectory of their own lives and their family’s lives. He’s been working at Corners since 2023, but has spent his career working as an advocate to help people overcome barriers.
Workforce Development is just one part of Corners Outreach’s. Participants can enter the program to receive assistance at any point of their education or career journey, but Corners offerings start with Corners Academy. The academy starts with early-learning program preparing children for kindergarten through high school graduation,
For post-high school participants, they first come to Jacinto in Workforce Academy before going to Billy with Staffing With a Purpose.
“I develop them, and Billy places them into work,” Jacinto said.
Billy, who’s been with Corners for two years, said Staffing With a Purpose seeks to match qualified Workforce Academy candidates with employers that are a good fit primarily in the fields of customer service, industry, hospitality, logistics, light manufacturing and healthcare.
Finding the right job starts with listening sessions where Corners staff ask questions to really try to understand what a person wants to do and why. Billy has found that many candidates do not realize there are broader opportunities available that match their desires.
“We start asking those questions, and now, all of a sudden, they say things like, ‘Hey, you know, I want to work in computers. I want to learn more about AI,’” he said. “Those are the types of conversations that we have through those relationships. That way they can share with us, and we can actually work with them." “We make sure it’s a job or career where they can grow within the company, a place where they can go to work and feel welcome and feel valued in that process,” Billy said. “We really focus on getting them the right job the first time.”
Billy adds Staffing With a Purpose goes further than just placing candidates into careers, recognizing that 64% of job turnover is not work related — it’s often outside factors like lack of childcare or reliable transportation. He and his team intentionally help candidates remove these barriers to ensure their success. “That’s what separates us. We take that time to build a relationship with them and help them navigate challenges. We even offer support services to them.” This holistic approach resulted in an 84% retention rate last year.
For Billy, it’s all part of building and strengthening the community.
“I feel like it’s just a family friend calling me, asking me, ‘Hey, how can I better myself, or what can I do to help my family? And I love it,” he said.