Ready, Willing & Able is a residential, work and job skills training program that empowers, employs and supports homeless individuals in their efforts to become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. Criteria for acceptance into the program are that the applicant be ready, willing and able, both physically and mentally, to work and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. For ten to twelve months trainees work thirty five hours per week in landscaping, park maintenance, street cleaning, custodial, culinary arts and security positions. They are drug tested twice per week and receive an array of services including job preparation and life skills classes.

The RWA Community Improvement Project is a landscaping, street cleaning and custodial services program, from which RWA’s trainees acquire valuable work experience and the city gains valuable cleaning and greening. Dressed in bright blue uniforms with the RWA logo, trainees work in crews with a Crew Supervisor. Crews work in North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia along key commercial corridors and in Fairmount Park, including Kelly Drive, LOVE Park and The Art Museum steps. They maintain over 80 vacant lots in the Eastern North section of the city through a partnership with Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Green program. In North Philadelphia they provide vital custodial services to two family shelters. They also maintain the sidewalks in their own community, Hawthorne, in South Philadelphia.

Graduation from the program requires that trainees secure full-time employment, move into independent housing, and remain clean and sober. For five months following completion of the program, graduates return to RWA at least once per month for Aftercare meetings and RWA’s matching grant program.

Ready, Willing & Able participants have ended their homelessness themselves by becoming self-sufficient members of our community and productive, welcome members of society.