December Family of the Month: The Powell Family
In 2019, Alisha Powell was living in Northern California, working a reliable job in construction. She loved being a carpenter and making things with her hands. Little did she know that a year later, she’d be jobless in Los Angeles with her son (8) and daughter (10). When the pandemic struck and the construction industry shut down indefinitely, she found herself unable to support her family. She came to LA to visit family but ended up staying, finding a small apartment in Gardena, but things didn’t pan out. Having to move from hotel to hotel with her family.
Then she heard about Imagine LA’s Economic Mobility Program and Living-Wage Career Pathways.
She chose the career pathway most like construction - – ApartmentWorks – and loved it.
The 8-week program, run by JVS SoCal in partnership with the National Apartment Association and Southern California’s leading real estate and property management firms, prepares job seekers for positions as Certified Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT). The program also provides job placement assistance and ongoing career coaching – critical for getting a job and keeping it.
Alisha found the Monday through Friday schedule convenient, and classes were in Downtown LA, which allowed her to pick up her kids nearby after school. She immensely enjoyed the hands-on learning component, which includes drywall repair, plumbing, appliance repair, electrical maintenance, heating and cooling systems, problem-solving common issues, and more. “You can read anything in the book,” she says. “It’s different when you can put your hands on it.”
Based on her history of financial instability, it was important to Alisha to pick a Pathway that is recession-proof. “It gives me more confidence about the future,” she says. “Especially given all the wrenches the pandemic has thrown at us.” But confidence is not the only key when it comes to looking toward the future.
“Positivity is contagious. It allows focus. At the end of the day, I put my best foot forward not because it’s all about me; it’s about my kids – them seeing me multitask and being able to afford a good life for them,” she says, reflecting on why she’s pushing herself to re-launch her career. “I don’t want everything going on to affect them. I want them to do normal things, like sports. Bills will always be there, but their memories are more important.”
Alisha is grateful for her Imagine LA case manager, Alvaro, and the support she felt from Imagine LA, ranging from enrolling her in ApartmentWorks, to Imagine LA’s family fun events (“I loved every one of them!”), to other opportunities and referrals that she has accessed. Now, as an Imagine LA alumni, Alisha pays it forward by sharing her resources and knowledge with others. “It’s a blessing to be of service, and everything comes full circle.”
Congratulations Alisha on graduating from ApartmentWorks and on all your successes and resilience!
