CASS Temporary Employment Services
Phoenix, Arizona
Year program began: 2001
Program sponsor: Central Arizona Shelter Services
Jobseekers placed last year: 93
Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) was founded in 1984 in response to the need to operate an emergency shelter for the homeless in downtown Phoenix. Today it is Arizona’s largest shelter and supportive service center for homeless individuals, assisting some 5,000 men, women and children annually. Employment services are among a range of supports offered to help people become self-sufficient, and a decade ago CASS added a temporary staffing component to its employment services to address exploitation of workers in the day labor segment of the market. Today the temporary services program continues to provide transitional jobs for CASS’ job seekers, giving them a way to earn money and build their resume during their job search.
We spoke with Dan Demers (pron. De-MARE), manager of CASS Employment Services, to learn more about their staffing enterprise.
How did you get into the alternative staffing business?
I worked for many years doing national and international recruitment for executive-level positions. I eventually tired of the travel, settled in Phoenix and began volunteering for CASS at its family shelter. That led to CASS hiring me as a shelter manager, and when a position opened in Employment Services a couple years ago, I applied and then became the manager. This job is a good fit with my skills and experience.
How many jobseekers does your Temporary Employment Services program serve annually?
We placed nearly a hundred individuals in temporary jobs last year. In any given week, we have 10 to 35 people on assignment.
How are participants referred to your program?
We recruit residents from the CASS shelter and other local homeless agencies as well.
What types of support services have you found to be most critical to their workplace success?
Transportation is critical. A lot of our job assignments are outdoors and begin between 5:30 and 6:00 am, or even earlier in the summer months. Our workers report to our office approximately an hour before they have to be on the work site. We offer them a continental breakfast, give them a bag lunch to take to work, then transport them to their job sites. They are given a bus pass to get back to the shelter at the end of the work day. We also supply appropriate boots and clothing and can assist with haircuts and personal grooming. Aside from those tangible supports, coaching our workers about workplace culture and required behaviors is an important way we help them succeed.
What types of employers do you serve?
The majority of our customers are construction and landscaping contractors and hotels. Placements we make with our hotel customers are most likely to convert to permanent hires.
What marketing methods or messages have you found to be most effective in attracting new customers?
I make an attempt to attend Chamber of Commerce networking breakfasts as time permits. I also connect with people via tours we arrange at CASS. In terms of message, we emphasize our performance as a reliable staffing vendor and our commitment to making good job matches. Employers also like our “no conversion fee” policy.
What are the biggest challenges of operating a staffing service program in your market?
Our biggest challenge is the difficulty in finding employers who will hire clients with felonies. The slow economy has also been a major factor although recently we’re beginning to see increased activity in landscaping work and in the hospitality industry.
Please share a success story about one of your workers.
The job seekers who walk through our doors have a wide range of skills and experience. One candidate who comes to mind is an ex-felon just out of prison with few skills who we placed as a laborer taking apart compact fluorescent lights. The business hired him and he’s been on their payroll a year-and-a-half now. He still drops in every now and then to thank us.
Another of our workers was a professional financial advisor who was laid off from a well-paying position a couple years ago and couldn’t find a comparable job. Over time he lost everything – his house, his marriage, his car. He ended up at our shelter and worked through our temporary employment service as a roofer while he continued his job search. His persistence paid off, and he recently landed a job as a financial planner at a very good salary.
What has been an innovative solution to a customer problem?
One of our hotel accounts wanted to hire a couple of the temps we sent to do grounds work but couldn’t because of the workers’ felony records. Instead, we were able to arrange their hire by the hotel’s landscaping contractor, and both individuals continue to work at the hotel on that basis.
As a manager, what do you wish you had more time for?
This past year a lot of time has been spent organizing our internal systems and updating our marketing brochures. I do wish we had more resources which would allow staff to get out and meet with potential employers.
What about your staffing program makes you most proud?
I’m very proud of the care we take to understand our customers’ job requirements and then refer them the “best match” worker. As a result, we’ve built strong relationships with our employer customers.
What are your program’s main goals for the future?
I want to scout production job opportunities, to diversify and expand our portfolio and give workers more access to this sector. Later this year, we also plan to host an open house for social service providers to strengthen our ties with these organizations.
What advice would you offer to someone considering alternative staffing as a transitional jobs strategy in their community?
Deliver what you market. That is the key to success in this business.
NOTE: CASS closed its temporary employment services program in summer 2011.
