Local program offers free interview and resume training

Caring, Helping and Restoring Lives provides unemployed and underemployed Nevadans with free interview and resume training.

"When people move here, they really find out that the wages aren't as high in Las Vegas as they are in California and other places," says CHRL program director Debra Gulley-Collins. "And right now, it's difficult. A lot of employers don't have positions, and it's hard to find livable, sustainable wages for our people."

About 200 clients a year either reach out to CHRL or find the 401c at their workplace when a large company shuts down.

"We'll get a notification from the state," Gulley-Collins said, citing the April 20 closure of the Solo Cup plant in Las Vegas as the latest unfortunate example.

"You have 160 people losing their jobs," Gulley-Collins continued. "Some people have been working there for years and just don't have the skills to prepare themselves to get another job."

In addition to training, CHRL provides financial assistance.

"To get a job in this town, many people need to get a health card," Gulley-Collins said. "That's 55 dollars. They may also have to get a work card, a TAM card, a sheriffs card.

"You're almost close to $300 before you're out of the box," she continued.

"If you don't have a job, how are you going to pay for that?"

CHRL is able to assist with health and work cards -- if the client can show proof that he or she has a job lined up.

"We help people with some of those, but not all of those, because of the way our grant is structured," Gulley-Collins said.

CHRL -- founded in 1996 by Mary and Clinton House -- operates on an annual budget of $1 million, about $750,000 of which comes from a grant from the Department of Labor via the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board. (The rest is donated privately.)

For many clients, CHRL pays for more than just certifications and licenses.

"We try to alleviate any barrier," Gulley-Collins said. "Whether it's child care, their rent or utility bills, we work with people with our funds."

For more information about CHRL, call 889-4466.

Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0456.