CityServe Educational Collaborative and Bakersfield College, along with collaborative partners, announces the second graduating class participating in Project HireUp – Homeless to a Job. This Friday, October 16, 2020, at The Mission at Kern County, 816 E 21st St. This event will be held outside in the Fellowship Park, on the grounds of the Mission at Kern County. Seating will be limited, and social distance protocols will be observed. The graduation ceremony will begin at 9:00 am. All media is invited to attend.

This Inaugural Ceremony will include 10 residents of the Mission at Kern County, and 4 individuals through the M. Street Navigation Center. These students will be celebrating their way to a better life with the completion of Project HireUp. Graduates will be dressed in regalia and will be receiving certificates of completion.

“Many people living in homelessness want something better for themselves and their families,” said Robin Robinson, community development and church engagement director, CityServe Network. “The Educational Collaborative brings together key community leaders to bridge the gap between homelessness and employment with self-sufficiency that will transform lives. That’s exactly what is happening with these fourteen graduates.”

Project HireUp is a program that incorporates educational courses, job training, and life development for people struggling with housing insecurity. The goal of this program is to take homeless residents of our community through an intentionally designed program which includes office skills courses leading to a certificate. In addition, career development is provided to prepare students for future job placement.

“Project HireUp has been intentionally created with 3 major components: Life, Education, and Career Development,” said Endee Grijalva, program manager, Adult Education, Bakersfield College. “The goal is to create pathways to self-sufficiency. By utilizing this design as its framework, some of our community’s most vulnerable have the opportunity to go from homeless to a job within 6 months. Bakersfield College is grateful for its key anchor partner, CityServe Educational Collaborative, and The Mission at Kern County, who is one of the first service providers in the continuum of care in our community—bringing students into the program.”

“The first Cohort in early Spring of 2020 was very successful. All 22 Mission graduates were gainfully employed by various organizations in Bakersfield. This opportunity has empowered men and women to take the next steps to independent living. We are so grateful for this collaboration,” said Carlos Baldovinos, executive director, The Mission at Kern County.

The graduation ceremony marks the first of many steps for individuals who want to transform their lives into something better.