A Creston farm that houses and employs people with disabilities is getting $84,000 in provincial funding.

The Kootenay Region Association for Community Living (KRACL) is participating in a Job Creation Partnership with the B.C. government that is giving three people valuable work experience in construction by mentoring them through the renovation of a residential building, a canning building and a storefront on the Spectrum Farms property.

The participants will be at work for 26 weeks as they renovate the three buildings, which are in a state of disrepair, gaining construction skills that will help them find a job once the project is complete.

KRACL’s farm is its sole source of income. It currently employs people with disabilities and developmental disorders who have unique needs, while also providing them with a low-cost place to live. Currently, eight people with disabilities work at the farm cultivating crops and managing chickens and sheep to sell eggs and wool, while one person lives on the farm with subsidized rent.

Once complete, the KRACL farm will be able to house nine people in need in the Kootenays while a new storefront will provide a better place to sell the farm’s products to continue to expand its operations and provide space for people with disabilities to live and work in a low-cost setting.

The Job Creation Partnership stream of the Community and Employer Partnerships program is providing funding for the project.

“The Job Creation Partnership program has allowed us to continue developing Spectrum Farms as a local food producer and processor and to get a start on our housing project for our workers and other individuals with disabilities that need a safe and affordable place to live,” outlined Ed Swanson, president of Kootenay Region Association for Community Living.

“This program has allowed me to hone and update my skills in construction. This will definitely help me to get a job in construction,” said project participant Trevor Dougdale.

“This project blends work experience with a great community project. Three people will gain the skills they need to enter the construction industry on a full-time basis and they will have a substantial community project to point to as part of their resumes. It’s one more way our government is helping people fit in today’s job market,” said Michelle Stilwell, Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation.

Job Creation Partnerships are part of the Employment Program of British Columbia’s Community and Employer Partnerships, which fund projects that increase employability and share labour-market information, a Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation press release noted.

The Community and Employer Partnerships program is featured in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint and supports people’s needs to gain a foothold in the job market. It helps build stronger partnerships with industry and labour to connect British Columbians with classroom and on-the-job training, while making it easier for employers to hire the skilled workers they need – when and where they need them.

To date, more than 1,200 job seekers have benefited from work experience, and more than 240 projects have been funded throughout the province.

Lead image from the KRACL website

e-KNOW

Article Share