Be the Change in DC Blog: Prepaid cell phone initiative

Be the Change in DC

Be the Change in DC (BTCDC) helps the less fortunate through events, both social and service in nature, that are meant to give the general public a new perspective on the very people that they may walk by and ignore on a daily basis. By personally handing out much needed items to the homeless, Be the Change in DC’s volunteers interact with the homeless and see them in a different light. In helping out the homeless, BTCDC does not want compete with existing organizations, but rather work with them to fill in the gaps of taking a homeless person off the streets. We have partnered with organizations such as So Other Might Eat (SOME), the Shelter Hotline and Community Voice Mail to accomplish our goals.

In serving the community, our goal is to help the homeless get back on their feet and educate the general public on homelessness.

Sep

2010

author: Rohit Dixit

In early August, Be the Change in DC gave out prepaid mobile phones to four DC homeless men who are eagerly looking for employment. We had met these men previously and identified them as great candidates to use the phones to help contact employers, reach out or be reached for housing opportunities, and keep in touch with family and/or medical professionals. The idea behind giving out the phones is simple- you need a contact number in order to get a job and the price of technology has declined substantially over time. We also partnered with Community Voice Mail (www.cvm.org), a Seattle-based nonprofit, to equip the phone with an additional voicemail service that has weekly updates about local job opportunities.

Since Be the Change in DC has given out the phones, the participants have contacted me regularly and I can honestly say these are upstanding men who are really trying to get back on their feet. Some of them have resumes ready to go, most have email addresses and two are veterans. It's been a pleasure getting to know these men and I sincerely hope we can help them find jobs. But you don't have to take my word for it, check out our website, www.bethechangeindc.org, to see pictures and profiles of the participants and if you think you may have an opportunity for them, let us know and we will get you in touch with them.

Be the Change in DC Blog