EILEEN HAYES, CEO and president of Providence-based nonprofit Amos House, recently received the 2019 Murray Family Prize for Community Enrichment from the Rhode Island Foundation. The $50,000 award recognizes Hayes’ and Amos House’s efforts to help the homeless within Rhode Island. Amos House was also recently recognized by Providence Business News in the paper’s Diversity & Inclusion Awards program.
What would you say has been your biggest achievement up to this point in your time leading Amos House? First, I would like to start by acknowledging the incredible generosity of Terry and Suzanne Murray for creating the Murray Family Prize and the Rhode Island Foundation for nominating me for this great honor. I believe that the biggest achievement of my work to date has been our new community center at 460 Pine St. This building has created a safe and beautiful space for us to serve the thousands of Rhode Islanders who come to us in need each year.
What do you plan to use the $50,000 for? I plan to use this money to take my four adult children and my granddaughter on a family vacation, something we have not done in more than 15 years. I am also going to set up a college fund for my granddaughter, Karlie, and invest in my children’s future.
Can you elaborate on the job-training programs that Amos House offers? Amos House operates three job-training programs: Culinary Arts, Carpentry/Maintenance and Customer Center/Call Center. These programs offer industry-specific certifications, hands-on learning and paid internships that lead to employment. All of the students receive wrap-around services, including financial coaching, employment readiness, and job placement and retention services. We also operate two businesses that employ graduates of our training programs: More Than a Meal Catering and Amos House Builds. These social enterprise businesses create up to 15 jobs a year and generate income for our programs. Finally, we offer a day labor program called A Hand Up that provides immediate cash to men and women involved in panhandling to give them a safe alternative to earn income. The participants clean streets and lots throughout south Providence and earn $50 per day.
With the holidays and the cold months upcoming, what will Amos House be offering to help those in need in addition to housing and hot meals? Amos House has many generous partners that assist us in helping those in need. East Commerce Solutions [Inc.] donated 200 turkeys and vegetables that we gave out to families for Thanksgiving. We will be hosting a Holiday Shopping Day for more than 200 families in our programs so that they can give their children a special Christmas holiday. Finally, every day, we encounter men and women in need of warm clothing, undergarments and hygiene items that we give out through the winter months and all year long.
