Four Capitol Hall residents sat in a row of chairs in the common room. Behind them, four barbering students from The School for Cooperative Technical Education (CoOp Tech) practiced their hair-cutting skills under the supervision of their teacher Tarik Golden.
“We’re very excited to finally have them here,” said Capitol Hall Program Director Alex Badia, program director of Capitol Hall. “We try to have as many things on-site as possible. A lot of the tenants are older, and it can be difficult for them to get places.”
Capitol Hall is one of our four supportive housing residences, providing permanent housing for people who are vulnerable to homelessness because of their age, income or disability. Many of the residents previously lived on the street and moved here with help from our Homeless Outreach teams. Supportive housing offers services to help them make the transition from unhoused to housed, including health care, access to social workers, organized activities and social groups—and now haircuts, too.
Much like our Learning to Work and Education and Workforce programs, CoOp Tech introduces students to careers by bridging the gap between school and work. We’re delighted to work together and look forward to CoOp Tech styling students visiting Goddard’s supportive housing residences on a regular basis.