The St. Francis House has 30 employees, including five who have disabilities. Employees have physical, mental health and developmental disabilities and hold the titles of Assistant Director, Volunteer Coordinator, House Assistant and Kitchen Assistants. St. Francis House provides workplace accommodations such as part-time hours and flexible scheduling. They have also purchased special equipment such as a large monitor for a past employee with a visual limitation and a platform desk to allow for sitting and standing.
Executive Director, Julie Becker, has been hiring employees with disabilities at the St. Francis House for 16 years. She feels her mission is to help people with disabilities obtain and maintain employment in the community. “Once I became the individual who could make the decision on hiring, I have been committed to creating a diverse work environment, which includes working with people with disabilities. During all these years, we have observed employing people with disabilities has been a significant part of the success of our agency. Our employees are dedicated to coming to work each day, are grateful to be part of our team and have so many amazing talents to offer to our agency. The St. Francis House would not be who we are without all of our past and current employees,” states Julie.
The St. Francis House has worked directly with Vocational Rehabilitation for many years to recruit employees. Several clients of LifeScape come to the St. Francis House to volunteer their time. These volunteers assist with the kitchen team to make sack lunches for their guests who take them to work. They appreciate the opportunity to come into St. Francis House and give back to help others.
When asked if employing people with disabilities has affected their company culture, Julie shares, “Most definitely. We have many guests who complain about their jobs and our employees with disabilities share their struggle with finding supportive employers in the community. This helps our guests see things through someone else’s experiences. Our employees who have disabilities share their experiences in staff meetings and have made some of the best suggestions to improve our operations.”
The St. Francis House is always looking for people who want to be a part of their team. There are part-time and full-time positions available. To apply, stop by for an application, email Julie at [email protected] or apply online at www.stfrancishouse.com. If there is a need for assistance filling out an application, there are supportive employees at the St. Francis House that can provide help.
