SUPPORT THAT COMES FROM THE HEART: Meet John

It’s the thoughtful, little touches John remembers from his first day at work. 

“There was a welcome pack waiting in the office for me from my supervisor Jay,” he recalls. 

John, Alannah & Jay

“It had four changes of work uniforms, boots, hard hat, gloves, sunscreen – everything I needed.”

John was at a low point in his life and the kind gesture offered a beacon of hope, connection and community. 

He’d been made redundant from his carpentry apprenticeship when the company he worked for took a financial hit and was struggling to find ongoing work. 

A turbulent living situation also saw him homeless and sleeping in his car for a month while he tried to find safe and affordable accommodation. 

After reaching out to Emmanuel City Mission in South Brisbane for help and support, John was offered the chance to participate in the pilot HeartWorks program. 

A partnership between Rosies – Friends on the Street and Victoria’s Jesuit Social Services, HeartWorks is an employment pathway program that helps find sustained employment for people in genuine need. 

John and another HeartWorks participant, Sal, were placed with civil construction company Fulton Hogan, where their work on-site was complemented with the undertaking of a Certificate III in Civil Construction. 

John onsite

“You know, some days I’ve had to pinch myself to think if it’s real or not, but I know it is, so it’s good,” John muses. 

“I watched the (induction) videos on my first day and they said ‘we’re all the same’ and ‘everyone’s a tight-knit group’ and they talked about support and togetherness. 

“The way that they have everything structured; it’s all about the employees, they care. 

“Jay, my supervisor,  was really supportive from the start and those values run through the whole staff, everyone gets along here really well and, you know, I appreciate that.” 

Jay says empathy and understanding are crucial to the success of the HeartWorks program and to making participants feel at home on the job site. 

“It’s important for us to be prepared for what to expect when it comes to our HeartWorks trainees and participants because everyone has a different outside life to our construction world,” he explains. 

“We’re bringing someone in who’s new, someone who’s had some life issues and we need to understand that before we go forward.” 

Both John and Jay acknowledge that the first week had its share of challenges, especially with John managing some personal and legal issues while seeking stable accommodation.  

“The first week had its ups and downs, but we were there to support him with encouraging messages and high fives to keep his spirits up,” Jay says.  

“Although he faced a tough period, we worked together to help him regain his footing. Now, he’s taken on more responsibility and has grown in confidence.”  

The HeartWorks program is designed to give participants, like John and Sal, the best chance for employment success, starting long before they clock in for their first shift. 

Employers are selected based on their people-first approach and suitable roles are clearly defined before candidates are identified and approached. 

John says attending employment resiliency training and receiving help to prepare for his job interview – everything from what to wear to the questions he might need to answer – were a huge help and offered peace of mind. 

When he and Sal started their new jobs, they were afforded a gentle transition, spending three days at Fulton Hogan, one studying their Certificate III and one checking in with their HeartWorks employment mentors, Bianca and Bekki. 

“So just that sort of slow entry, that buffer, was really, really good,” John recalls. 

Jay & John onsite

Cherie, Fulton Hogan’s Regional People & Culture Manager,  says the key to HeartWorks’ success is working with Rosies to establish a strong support network so people like John can find their place and their community. 

“The program certainly opens your eyes up to what another life is like for an individual. It does make you feel very humble to work in a program like this because you understand the challenges that you can’t even comprehend in your own life that someone else is going through,” Cherie explains. 

“We’ve had two amazing individuals who have come along the journey with us, being John and Sal.  

“They’ve been extremely open about their stories and personal barriers they have overcome to still be with us today.” 

HeartWorks Employment Mentor Bekki says there’s no exact formula for successfully transitioning vulnerable people into full-time work and praises Fulton Hogan for its tenacity and diligence in mapping out a blueprint. 

“Fulton Hogan has been so flexible and understanding and accommodating in really working with us and with our participants through all of the challenges that we face –and there have been a lot of challenges,” Bekki recalls. 

“They haven’t given up, they haven’t thought, ‘this is too hard’ and they’ve really worked with us so well.”  

Cherie concedes that while there have been challenges, the rewards for patiently navigating the pilot program have been well worth the effort. 

“I know it comes with challenges, but if you have an opportunity to change someone’s life such as we’ve had the opportunity to do with these two candidates, then why wouldn’t you go and support a program such as this?” Cherie queries. 

“These kind of programs make you want to get out of bed every day and I think if we can make an impact or be involved in making an impact on someone’s life, then I definitely encourage other organisations to lean in, get behind it and support the initiative.” 

John & Employment Mentor Bianca

The impressive work ethic John shows on site is also evident in his personal life. 

A fortnight after starting at Fulton Hogan, John found a safe place to live in community housing, sharing with three other housemates. 

He is diligently working and saving to support his application for a small studio apartment where he can enjoy freedom and independent living. 

This transformation captured the attention and recognition of another HeartWorks Employment Mentor, Bianca. 

“It is amazing to see someone without housing and without support go into full-time employment, find housing, have a support system around them (and) have a network around them. That gives them the security, the motivation and belief that they can do it,” Bianca says. 

“You can see that there is a change in the way that John stands, the way that he presents himself. He speaks with happiness, he stands tall and he looks proud.” 

John also expresses interest in one day supporting other HeartWorks participants as a mentor at Fulton Hogan. 

“If John, in particular, can be a mentor to others coming through the program and offer his insights and the challenges he’s overcome, I think that would be absolutely beneficial and well-received,” Cherie enthuses. 

“We’re looking to take on a couple of other candidates and if John is putting his hand up to be a mentor, I’ll absolutely be reaching out to him to provide some guidance in this space!” 

 If you’d like to support individuals like John please donate today.