What are the eligibility requirements for the Ready, Willing & Able program?
Ready, Willing & Able:
- Homeless
- Physically and mentally able to work 30 hours a week
- Committed to gaining full-time employment
- Committed to living drug- and alcohol-free and being randomly drug tested twice weekly
- No public assistance except Medicaid
- Signed waivers to identify any current child support orders or arrearages
Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways:
- On parole or probation and released from prison within 120 days prior to starting the program.
- Physically and mentally able to work 30 hours a wee
- Committed to gaining full-time employment
- Committed to living drug- and alcohol-free and being randomly drug tested twice weekly
- No public assistance except Medicaid
- Signed waivers to identify any current child support orders or arrearages
How do you recruit program participants?
Residential program participants ("trainees") are referred to Ready, Willing & Able by the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Incoming trainees spend at least one night in the city shelter system before being admitted to one of our facilities. Our non-residential program - Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways - recruits and accepts referrals from local correctional facilities, federal probation, and state parole.
Do you only serve men?
No. While only men reside in our Ready, Willing & Able residences, Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways and our affordable and supportive housing programs are open to women.
Where are your transitional housing residences?
New York City (Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Williamsburg) and Philadelphia. For more information about these residences as well as our supportive housing programs, please see our facilities page.
Do all trainees live with you?
No. Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways is a non-residential program helping recent parolees reenter the workforce and society. Pathways trainees live in parole-approved housing while participating in paid work, training, and educational programs five days a week.
What does a trainee experience from start to finish?
Ready, Willing & Able employs a 9- to 12-month program model, providing a comprehensive roadmap of services for trainees working to overcome long histories of homeless, incarceration, and substance abuse. Our Pathways program uses a 6-month program model, incorporating the central elements of Ready, Willing & Able in a shorter timeframe. While paid transitional work provides the core of Ready, Willing & Able, other key elements include random drug testing to ensure long-term sobriety, intensive case management, advanced skills training, education and career development and a host of additional services and resources throughout a trainee's time in the program. Graduates are also eligible to receive ongoing training and support. See our trainee roadmap for descriptions of each program phase.
Do all trainees start Ready, Willing & Able at the same time?
No. Participants are referred to our program on an ongoing basis, meaning that at any given time, trainees will be at various stages of the program. For example, some trainees will be participating in program orientation, some will be working in a Doe Fund social enterprise, and some will move on to independent housing all at the exact same time. We hold one graduation celebration per year in each city in which we operate for all individuals who reach and maintain graduate status during the previous calendar year.
How much do trainees get paid?
Trainees earn a stipend of $7.40 per hour (above New York and Pennsylvania minimum wage) for the first 210 days of work in a Doe Fund enterprise, and $8.15 per hour for the remainder of the program. We pay on a weekly basis and require trainees to save a portion of their earnings.
Do trainees pay rent?
To mirror the rent and other obligations they will face when they leave the program, all residential trainees pay a modest program fee of $100 per week. In addition to the extensive programming offered by Ready, Willing & Able, each trainee is provided with three nutritious meals per day and access to community rooms, libraries, computer labs, and gardens in all facilities. We also have a mandatory saving program to help trainees save for future expenses associated with the transition to permanent housing.
When does a trainee graduate?
A trainee graduates upon the obtainment and verification of full-time, permanent employment, independent housing, and lasting sobriety.
What is your success rate?
To graduate from Ready, Willing & Able trainees must achieve the triple crown of employment, housing and sobriety. In addition, fathers are required to resume child support payments. Last year, 56% of our available program beds produced a graduate, an exceptional achievement for a population dealing with long histories of homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, low educational achievement, and little to no professional experience.
How do you decide what kinds of social enterprises to implement?
When The Doe Fund explores viable social enterprise opportunities, we make sure that: (1) job placement and training opportunities are appropriate for the skills and interests of Ready, Willing & Able trainees, (2) we devise a strategic business model to fulfill a proven market demand, and (3) we can generate sufficient revenue to cover the cost of both business and training.
Is Ready, Willing & Able the only program The Doe Fund operates?
No. The Doe Fund also provides a variety of affordable and supportive housing programs.
How many individuals do you serve?
Ready, Willing & Able serves more than 700 people each day. In total, The Doe Fund serves more than 1,000 individuals daily across all our programs.
How are you funded?
The Doe Fund adopts a three-pronged funding model: (1) government grants, (2) private donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and (3) earned revenue such as contracts, housing program rent, and our social enterprises. See our financial information for more detail on our revenues and expenses.
Are you interested in expanding to other cities?
Yes. Increasing numbers of local governments, nonprofits, and individuals contact us each year seeking to bring Ready, Willing & Able to their communities. In response to this overwhelming national demand, we are currently in the process of developing our replication strategy. To learn more about our replication initiatives, click here.
