Our mission:
Our Community Works (OCW) is a non-profit subsidiary of Our Community Place (OCP) that exists to provide good and meaningful work for our community members.
Our Community Works’ vision is to provide work and training for those in our community suffering from occupational challenges. Through our work together we hope to deepen the self-worth of the participants, creating a rhythm of community and work which gives a chance for healing in life-inhibiting patterns. A large portion of the pay for the work will go towards a housing voucher, to supply a basic need within the community.
Our Community Works is a piece of the puzzle of the OCP’s efforts to create a space for reforming lives and teaching community well-being. Our hope is to create a culture where people through different handles will be able to find the healing and affirmation to encourage personal growth and self-awareness.
Our vision:
Our goal is to encourage our community and its members to work, first and foremost toward personal growth and community well-being. In this pursuit we desire to be financially sustainable and provide our employees/community members with a fair wage for their time, skills and labor. Profits received through the work of the community will then be returned to the community and its continued work.
Our commitment:
We are committed first and foremost to providing good and meaningful work for our employees within a loving and honest environment. Secondly and essentially, we are committed to providing quality services at competitive market prices for our valued customers. We also commit ourselves to sustainable practices with regard to our local economy and creation.
Our employees:
Many of our employees are people who inhabit the margins of our society. We have found that this is the case for many and varied reasons, some of which include abuses such as drug and alcohol, and others due to abuse suffered. We humbly and simply seek to provide an alternative environment
in which they can participate and work. As our customers we want to be transparent about this fact in order to allow you to make an informed choice with regards to your participation with OCW.
Types of work:
The main work of OCW is that of the growth and well-being of our employees. However, towards that goal OCW employees will be asked to fulfill a wide range of tasks, from raking leaves to building small structures, cleaning, painting, snow shoveling etc. What we ask of employees is an honest day’s work depending on individual abilities. If an employee is unable to perform any type of work for whatever reason, we hope that will be made clear on the worker application form.
Pay:
Our Community Works is currently paying its part-time employees $8 an hour. Due to the needs of our community that OCW seeks to help fill, we are providing a payment system that includes a housing voucher. On the day of payment, currently Monday following work performed, employees receive 25% of their earned income from the previous week. The remaining 75% is set aside to be used towards rent or utilities. Where employees have no residence, the money will be saved to go towards an eventual down payment on housing rental. In the case that an employee’s employment is terminated OCW reserves the right to withhold any payment of this housing set aside for up to 2 weeks, from date of termination.
Hiring and firing:
Our Community Works hires employees based on a combination of the need and the involvement of the person within the community. We reserve the right terminate employment based on various grievances including but not limited to intoxication, unwillingness to participate in work, drug use, and lack of co-operation with fellow workers.
For more information about participating in this program, please call OCP on 540/442-7727 or send an e-mail to ourcommunityplace@gmail.com. Or you can contact OCW directly on 540/435-2977 andocpworks@gmail.com.