|Photo by Niamh Coomey| Grant recipients and Breaking Barriers for a Better Community members gathered for a reception and official check presentation Wednesday morning.

Breaking Barriers for a Better Community (BBBC) granted two organizations a combined $30,000 on Wednesday for their work helping individuals in the area find and maintain employment.

This was the second round of grant money to be distributed through the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley this week, with the Women’s Giving Circle awarding 15 organizations focused on women and girls nearly $55,000 combined Tuesday.

Zanesville Welfare Organization and Goodwill Industries received half of the BBBC grant for their programming aimed at helping empower at-risk youth to find success.

The other half of the funds went to HoH-Share Inc., which helps individuals overcome barriers to employment, allowing them to enter and stay in the workforce.

Both organizations have been recipients for the past several years.

HoH-Share Executive Director Kate Marshall said because of the grant, the organization has been able to help hundreds of individuals overcome the barriers to employment. Many individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty, recent incarceration, or who are in addiction recovery can struggle to access work clothing, cell phones, bus passes and identification. HoH-Share helps fulfill these needs, which other organizations may overlook.

“Sometimes the barrier to employment can be something relatively small but can have drastic consequences,” Marshall said.

Another area they provide support is unexpected emergencies or circumstances that could impact employment – like a car issue or even a broken pair of glasses.

Financial Literacy Coordinator Ryan Ewing benefited from the program himself before he got involved as a staff member. When Ewing was getting back into the workforce after being incarcerated, the HoH-Share program helped him fix his car so he could get to and from his job.

“I didn’t realize until I started actually doing the work to help people how impactful the grant really was because I’m seeing it in their lives,” he said. “I knew that it got me over this barrier but just seeing what a pair of shoes can do for somebody, it’s amazing.”

Ewing emphasized that getting a job is about more than securing an interview and landing a position – you also need the tools to be able to care for yourself.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand that,” he said. “They’re like ‘if you can hold a sign for eight hours you can get a job for eight hours’ like yes, but [you also need] a shower, clothes, food, all of that stuff too.”

Ewing said the program also teaches financial literacy skills that are necessary to maintain success and stability after finding a job.

“I’ve got one guy who was formerly incarcerated and we helped him get tires and he’s now getting ready to go trade his car in and get his dream car. It’s just stuff like that that’s really important,” Ewing said.

The Zanesville Welfare Organization and Goodwill Industries works to help high school students who may struggle with poverty, food insecurity, transportation issues or a lack of support at home or school.

They work with these students to build self advocacy skills and get information about options for higher education and employment after graduation.

“We go from kind of A to Z with an individual from high school to employment,” administrator Thomas Bigham said. “It’s just critical to be able to get this funding again to be able to help the kids that we help. We help individuals that kind of fall through the cracks.”