Goodwill Central Coast

Goodwill Central Coast's retail program helps people with disadvantages or disabilities, and those experiencing obstacles to become job-ready, and to obtain and maintain employment. Our 16 stores, 20 donation sites, ecommerce division, and two industrial plants provide employment, training and career development opportunities throughout our three counties. The retail program provided employment and training to 753 individuals, and paid more than $15 million in wages in 2022. Goodwill sells a variety of donated merchandise to the community at value prices. Our retail, aftermarket sales, and recycling programs together diverted an estimated 18.7 million pounds of material from local landfills and supporting Goodwill's mission to help get people in our communities on the road to self-sufficiency. Con't on sch o.the retail operations generated funding to support employment counseling, educational programs, financial counseling, and job training services through our career center, training & development program and the opportunity platform.

Through the expanded subsidized employment (ese) program, Goodwill Central Coast provides immediate services to eligible calworks welfare-to-work clients which include employment, training, supervision, intense case management, job performance evaluations, and unsubsidized job coordination in order to help them establish work experience and/or appropriate work behaviors before entering unsubsidized employment. The primary goal of the program is to provide an immediate source of income to low-income families, ultimately leading to long-term unsubsidized employment. The clients are also eligible for all of the free services offered by the Goodwill Central Coast opportunity platform. In 2022, the expanded subsidized employment programs served 293 people, with $765,000 in wages paid.

The opportunity platform is a free, confidential service that provides one-on-one financial coaching to help members achieve their personal goals, gain job security, increase income, and become debt free in a structured and compassionate way. Resource specialists personally connect members with community resources and other trustworthy organizations in our active referral network to provide assistance in reaching long term goals; as well as immediate needs to provide stabilization. In 2022, the opportunity platform served 295 people; and in partnership with the united way provided more than $1.2 million in housing stability and emergency rental assistance grants to individuals in our community.

Goodwill Central Coast helps individuals identify their strengths and overcome any obstacles that may prevent them from obtaining and retaining employment, which is foundational to achieving self-sufficiency. Through relationships with community partners and government agencies, we serve those who are most vulnerable in this area, including the physically and developmentally disabled, displaced workers, at risk and justice involved youth, and formerly incarcerated individuals. We also offer free digital literacy, job search, job placement, job readiness training, and income tax related assistance to the community. In 2022, we served 9,219 individuals.