Dignified Workday serve homeless people

By Ariana Barrey

St. Ann's Catholic Church and Career Path Services co-founded Dignified Workday to bring change to lives of people, including addressing a basic need of homeless people for a place to do laundry for free. Avista's Named Communities Investment Fund (NCIF) stepped in with a grant to help St. Ann's remodel to install commercial-grade washers and dryers.

Ken Mead, who had felt abandoned most of his life, was able to step away from living on the streets addicted. He wanted a better life but didn't know how or who could help him. That changed when he discovered Dignified Workday in Spokane.

"If you ever had addiction issues, you're immediately separated from society," said Ken. "Housing and employment are hard to find. Sometimes you just need a helping hand, which Dignified Workday did for me."

Since joining the Dignified Workday crew, Ken has been changed. In the last six months, he worked daily on a painting crew. Through steady employment, he earned what he needed to get off the streets and move into an apartment. He owns a bicycle, a car and even a dog.

Ken is one of several unhoused people helped by the program.

"This program is the most successful I've ever seen," said Ken.

Dignified Workday offers a lifeline to those who want it, meeting people where they are.

"We want to take concrete steps to help break the spirit of poverty through the dignity of work," said Andy Dwonch, Career Path Services chief operating officer whose organization co-founded Dignified Workday. "We knew it was critical for employment to be part of the solution."

People who show up for work daily are assigned to work sites around the city to clean apartment buildings, paint low-income housing units and perform other clean-up jobs.

Career Path Services and their partner, SDS Realty, lead Dignified Workday. The nonprofit secures work projects with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. They also organize the work crews and manage participant payroll.

The program started with a simple request for help with weeding the St. Ann Catholic Church grounds.

Tresa Schmautz, co-founder of Dignified Workday and member of St. Ann, asked unhoused people to help do a few hours of work for payment. One man accepted her offer.

"He asked if we could do it again, so we met the following Tuesday," said Tresa. "The next week, he brought friends."

From that one appeal, Tresa's workdays grew to more than 60 people coming ready to work. Tresa and her husband, Steve, found work for the weekly group and paid wages out of their personal resources.

Andy attended the Tuesday gatherings and saw an opportunity to do more. That's how Career Path Services became the program's overseer.

Andy and the Career Path Services team developed the Dignified Workday and launched it in January 2024. Beginning with eight individuals, the program now has a roster of more than 40.

"The nonjudgmental approach is essential. We accept people as they are," said Andy. "We're here when they're ready."

Avista stepped in to help support the labor cost. The utility awarded Dignified Workday with Named Communities Investment Fund (NCIF) and Avista Foundation grants.

"The outcomes from the grant award are positive," said Avista Foundation executive director Kristine Meyer. "We've met people impacted by the program. It is amazing."

Tresa and Steve are active in the program. As a supervisor for one of the program's Spokane-area crews, Tresa discovered a problem that's often overlooked.

"I heard how expensive it is for homeless people to do laundry," she said. "We see clothes thrown away in odd places, because they can't afford to wash them."

Because of Tresa's advocacy, a room at St. Ann's was renovated into a commercial laundry for unhoused and struggling people. Avista awarded St. Ann an NCIF grant for remodeling, helping with costs of new windows, an HVAC upgrade, laundry equipment, air conditioning and wiring to support three commercial-grade washers and dryers.

Energy efficiency upgrades help the parish save on its energy bill and provide space for people experiencing homelessness to wash their clothes.

The Corner Laundry is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sundays, overlapping the coffee hour and Sunday Lunch Program.

"It's a unique opportunity for us," said Kristine. "Some of the biggest challenges in our community are folks struggling with addiction and homelessness. Programs like Dignified Workday help people reach their potential. It demonstrates that it's the right thing to do for our neighbors who need it most."

Avista's NCIF was approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission as part of Avista's Clean Energy Implementation Plan to comply with the state's 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act.

The NCIF will invest up to $5 million annually in projects that benefit Avista's Washington electric customers in highly impacted and vulnerable communities.

For information, call 495-4174, email ariana.barrey@avistacorp.com or visit myavista.com/NCIF.