Community & Economic Development

STEP ONE: ACHIEVE/MAINTAIN STABLE HOUSING

The People's Justice Project is now operating the Emergency Love Fund (ELF) grant program in Santa Barbara County.

Limited public resources, coupled with the growing costs of housing, has led to a crisis of evictions, homelessness and other types of housing instability, particularly for people with extremely low incomes. Most families in poverty who rent spend at least half of their income on housing, leaving virtually no margin for an unexpected expense. Broken-down cars, medical bills, or temporary declines of income can quickly send vulnerable households down the spiral of housing instability, eviction, and homelessness. Eviction is not just a condition, but a cause of poverty. Moreover, an eviction on record makes it harder for a family to find decent housing in a safe neighborhood and it negatively impacts employment as well as physical and mental health.

The purpose of the ELF grant program is to improve housing stability in our community. Improving housing stability is not just about keeping people in their homes and/or vehicles; it is also about providing them with the foundation they need for success in many other areas of life. For example, stable housing is linked with better educational and health outcomes across a lifespan. Moreover, reducing homelessness also reduces costs to the taxpayer, because stable housing can lead to reduced social costs, including a reduction in avoidable emergency room visits, arrests, incarceration, and the need for temporary shelter.

The People's Justice Project recognizes that our community is more just and equitable when housing resources are made available to our most vulnerable residents. By providing the ELF grant program to the residents who need it most, our goal is to help low-income and unhoused Santa Barbara County community members more readily escape poverty and climb the income ladder towards a more stable way of life.

The ELF grant program provides funds for a variety of activities to address homelessness in Santa Barbara County, including regulatory and mechanical expenses for those living in vehicles, and gap-funding for those living in structural homes who need a modest monetary injection to maintain their residence.

The People's Justice Project administers the ELF grant program with the allocation of up to $3,000.00 per month. The ELF grant program is funded by private donations from community members.

To apply for an ELF grant, please call:

Joseph Doherty: (805) 242-6691

Gary Linker: (805) 969-7084

STEP TWO: SEAL AND EXPUNGE CRIMINAL RECORDS

There are many advantages to sealing and/or expunging a criminal record. By offering felony reduction, expungement, and early termination of probation services to Santa Barbara County community members, the People's Justice Project is helping our community regain the ability to participate in society unburdened by the past.

The most important benefits of a sealing and/or expunging a criminal record include more job opportunities, assistance with obtaining professional licenses or joining professional organizations, preventing use of the conviction to impeach a person’s credibility in certain court proceedings, and personal satisfaction.

Expungement Benefit #1: Job Applications:

For most people, the most valuable benefit of sealing and/or expunging a criminal arrest/conviction record is that it can assist in securing employment. Today, many employers conduct background checks before making hiring decisions. These background checks can reveal an individual’s records of arrests, convictions, and probation status. Most employers also ask whether applicants have ever suffered a criminal conviction. A major benefit of an expungement is that a person who receives one can lawfully answer “no” if asked whether they have been convicted of a crime. Moreover, an employer is not permitted to consider an expunged conviction that is discovered through a background check in making a hiring decision.

Expungement Benefit #2: State Licenses:

An expungement offers important benefits to those seeking state professional licenses. To be sure, even after an expungement in many circumstances, an individual must disclose a conviction in response to a question posed in an application for a state license (e.g. a contractor license or real estate license) or in an application for public office. However, many licensing agencies are more likely to look favorably upon individuals who have successfully completed probation and whose convictions have been expunged.

Expungement Benefit #3: Professional Organizations:

Many professional organizations do background checks before inviting someone to join or to hold a position or serve as a board member. Yet another benefit of obtaining an expungement is that the stigma and negative effect of a criminal conviction can be reduced in this situation.

Expungement Benefit #4: Personal Satisfaction:

Many people express a great sense of relief after gaining an expungement. While it does not magically erase the past, it helps bring redemption for a mistake and closure to a frustrating chapter in their lives, which is an immense personal benefit that cannot be quantified.

STEP THREE: OBTAIN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT

The pandemic has created unrivaled economic uncertainty. While it’s true many companies are in a hiring freeze and others are reducing staff, some industries are ramping up their recruiting efforts to fill critical positions. 

Find your job today:

• 7-Eleven: Currently looking to add 20,000 jobs to meet the increased demand. Apply at https://careers.7-Eleven.com
• Albertsons & Vons: They are currently hiring 1,600 positions across it’s brands. Apply at https://www.albertsonscompanies.com/careers.html
• Amazon: They are currently opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in their fulfillment centers and their delivery network to meet the surge in demand. Apply at https://www.amazondelivers.jobs
• Costco: The warehouse company is looking to add hourly workers and is also offering work-from-home opportunities. Apply on their career site to see all openings www.costco.com/jobs.html
• CVS: The company is planning to immediately fill 50,000 full-time, part-time and temporary roles across the country. Jobs include store associates, home delivery drivers and distribution center employees as well as customer service professionals. Apply at https://jobs.cvshealth.com
• Dollar Tree: They are planning on adding 25,000 full and part time associates on board to support in-store and distribution roles at over 15,000 locations. Apply at www.DollarTree.com/careers
• Domino’s: They are looking to fill immediate positions for delivery experts, pizza makers and customer service representatives, managers & assistant managers. Apply at https://jobs.dominos.com/dominos-careers/
• Instacart: The Company that allows shoppers to shop through their app is planning to hire 300,000 full-service shoppers over the next three months to fulfill the demand. Apply at https://shoppers.instacart.com/role/full-service#role-description
• Papa John’s: They are currently looking to hire 20,000 new team members. Apply at https://jobs.papajohns.com/ or text JOBS to 47272.
• PepsiCo: They are currently looking to hire 6,000 new employees across the U.S. Apply at www.pepsicojobs.com
• Pizza Hut: There are over 30,000 open positions at the restaurant chain. Apply at http://jobs.pizzahut.com
• Postmates: Apply at  https://fleet.postmates.com/
• Ralphs & Food 4 Less: They are currently hiring more than 7,000 positions across it’s brand. Apply at https://jobs.kroger.com/
• Target: Apply at https://jobs.target.com
• Trader Joe’s: Apply at https://www.traderjoes.com/careers
• UPS: Apply at https://www.jobs-ups.com/
• Uber Eats: Apply at https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/delivery/
• Walmart: They are planning on hiring 150,000 hourly workers in the U.S. Apply at https://careers.walmart.com/
• Whole Foods: Apply at https://careers.wholefoodsmarket.com/global/en
• Health Care and Senior Care Centers: Reach out to your local hospital or senior living community. Many are currently hiring medical and non-medical staff, including caregivers, CNAs, kitchen staff, cleaning staff, maintenance, and more.

If you are a local business that is currently hiring, please contact us and we will include your job posting on this list.
 

OVERALL GOAL OF THE PJP THREE-STEP PROGRAM

The overall goal of the PJP three-step program is to achieve an economically stable and healthy community by providing monetary assistance to maintain shelter and to make it easier for our community members to obtain stable employment.