A call to Birmingham’s business leaders

Birmingham is in the middle of numerous revitalization efforts focusing on our urban communities. Many of them have been quite successful in transforming the outward appearance of distressed areas of the city. Refurbished houses, apartments, schools and business districts give areas a more appealing look. The hope is that these cosmetic changes will entice businesses to locate in the area and improve job opportunities for the residents, who will in turn be motivated to take more pride in their community and proactively change their lives for the better.

Unfortunately, these well-meaning revitalization efforts often displace the very people they are seeking to help. As urban communities are transformed, the poor in the area can no longer afford the rising cost of rent, goods and services, and taxes produced by the new development. They end up having to move to areas that look a lot like their community did before the revitalization started.

These efforts also tend to do very little to help impoverished residents who face obstacles to gaining employment, especially those with criminal records or who have dropped out of school and given up hope of moving beyond their current situation. And on top of that, these efforts do nothing to address the urgent spiritual need that’s at the heart of so many of the problems our cities face.

But what if there was a different way to transform Birmingham’s urban communities?

Rather than displacing individuals in these communities in the name of “revitalization,” what if we empowered them by preparing them to get a job, keep a job, and ultimately become homeowners and stakeholders in their community — changing it from the inside-out?

Well, that sounds great, of course — but a little unrealistic.

Except it’s not.

That is exactly what has been happening in Houston, Texas for the past several years through a program called WorkFaith Connection.

70 percent of the graduates of WorkFaith’s 8-day program in Houston have a criminal record, but an amazing 74 percent of them get jobs in the first 90 days after they graduate. They have had well over 1,600 adults graduate from their faith-based jobs preparation workshop since 2006.

Now the big news — the WorkFaith program is coming to Birmingham.

A local church has donated $150,000 to get the program off the ground, but it’s going to take the help of many others — especially the Birmingham business community — to make it a success the way it has been in Houston. In addition to financial resources, WorkFaith is going to need mentors to come alongside the program’s graduates and employers who are willing to put them to work. And there are many other ways to get involved as well.

If you are interested in being a part of this effort, I hope you will join me at WorkFaith Birmingham’s Business Leaders Breakfast this coming Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 a.m. at Regions Field. The speakers will be Dr. David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, and Sandy Schultz, CEO of The WorkFaith Connection in Houston.

Thanks to two of WorkFaith Birmingham’s partners — CraneWorks and PrintsWell — the event is free. All you have to do is RSVP to [email protected]. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me HERE.

I look forward to seeing you at Regions Field Thursday morning.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims