A self-described stickler for prompt work-start times, Murray Wightman was curious about how his latest recruits would treat their arrival to work with the City’s Street Operations department. After all Wightman, who is manager of Street Operations, had just dismissed another recruit who took a casual approach to the business day, sometimes showing up for his 7 am shift as late as 9:15 and even 10 am.

“Start time is 7 o’clock: five after 7, you’re late,” Wightman said.

The three new recruits were part of the City’s Four Pillars Supported Employment Project, which is offering short-term City employment to people who are in recovery from addiction. The first phase of the project in 2007 gave four men the opportunity to work on short-term jobs with the City; this phase offered work to seven.
The project, which is organized by the City’s Drug Policy Program and funded by the Vancouver Agreement, gives people who are in recovery from substance use the opportunity to work for approximately six months with the City of Vancouver.

Six weeks into the program, Wightman was impressed: supervisors reported that none of the three men working in Street Operations had been late even once and at least two of the three men consistently showed up for their 7 am shifts at 6:30. “That impresses me.”

Wightman explained that the three men –-one in his 50s, the other two in their early 20s-- had to meet the same expectations as other recruits, including a physical test. They went through the same kinds of performance reviews too. While their supervisors were briefed on the men’s situation, the men decided whether or not they want to share their stories with co-workers.

As the project continued throughout the summer, one of the men suddenly stopped showing up for work; he dropped out of the program. The other two men, however, continued to display a work ethic that impressed Wightman. While the project offers participants work experience but no expectation of a job offer, Wightman happened to have some openings and recently offered the two men jobs. The men are now undergoing the same six-month probationary period required of any new City employee.

The project, which is organized by the City’s Drug Policy Program and funded by the Vancouver Agreement, gives people who are in recovery from substance use the opportunity to work for approximately six months with the City of Vancouver in the Engineering Department’s Street, Waterworks and Sewers Operations. Along with the three men in Streets, who started work in April, four men started work with Waterworks and Sewers in early July; they will finish their program next month.

Drug Policy Program Planner Zarina Mulla, who coordinates the project, explained that the first phase of the project last year provided work experience and support to four men. Unfortunately, the civic strike disrupted the project but two men still completed their 26-week terms, a third used the job literacy training included in the project and found work elsewhere while the fourth relapsed. All are now drug-free and working or actively seeking employment.

“Prevention is not just telling people not to do drugs: prevention is providing them with supports.” Zarina Mulla, Drug Policy Program Planner

Mulla explained that the Drug Policy Program’s initiation of the project stemmed from the inclusion of a recommendation in the DPP’s 2005 report, Preventing Harm from Psychoactive Substance Use that called for the creation of a supported employment project. “Prevention is not just telling people not to do drugs: prevention is providing them with supports,” Mulla said.

Working with the City’s Engineering Department and Equal Employment Opportunities office, as well as CUPE 1004, the DPP was able to establish the project within the City. For the second phase of the project, it also worked with Embers Staffing Solutions, a social purpose temporary staffing agency, to recruit the participants and provide their job support.

Embers Executive Director marcia Nozick explained her agency seeks to help those who have stopped using substances. “When people come out of recovery programs they are facing a transition in their lives, it’s a very critical point,” she said. “They need support.”

Most want to work full-time, she said, but they need support to ease into the labour market: Embers provides training, coaching and other support.

Tim O’Malley was Director of Recruitment and a job support counselor at Embers until very recently. O’Malley, who also has addictions counseling expertise, worked with the seven men in the DPP’s supported work project.
“When people come out of recovery programs, they are facing a transition in their lives, it’s a very critical point. They need support.” Marcia Nozick, Embers Staffing Solutions

O’Malley explained that he has worked with a number of people in recovery so when the City approached Embers to be a partner in this project, he could already think of a number of people who would be suitable for the positions. Of the seven he chose, “All of these guys have a substantial amount of time drug-free,” he said, explaining they had not used substances for anywhere from eight months to more than a year.

He said that as their coach, he still put them through an in-depth screening and assessment process and then embarked on job-readiness training. That included one day where they obtained their first-aid tickets and then two days of workshops with O’Malley where they learned about managing their expectations for the project, practiced conflict resolution and communications skills, got some financial instruction and set some short and longer-term goals.

The men meet with their counselor one night each week, to review any issues from their work experience, spend more time focused on financial literacy and continue to focus on other life skills.

Towards the end of the project, Embers Executive Director Marcia Nozick said three of the seven men had left their jobs: of the three, one was still drug-free but decided he did not want to continue in that particular job, one had a medical issue that arose and one man disappeared. She said that the project has been a good learning experience, both for her agency, which typically places workers in shorter-term placements, and for the men: “This will help to build their resumes, give them experience.”

When the project ends, Embers will continue to work with the men, to find other placements and provide them with support. She said while the men had no expectations of receiving job offers, the fact that the two men were offered jobs in Streets was “an extra, added bonus”.

The City’s Murray Wightman said he wouldn’t hesitate to participate in the next phase of the project, offering work experience in Street Operations.

“If the project is going to go again, I’ll certainly offer the branch up again.”

The DPP’s Zarina Mulla hopes that the project can grow and offer more people in recovery the opportunity to participate. “I’m envisioning growth every year.” At this point, the DPP has funding to carry on the project for one more year and has applied elsewhere for funding for two more years.