Days Inn reaches out with a chance to start over

Food and Nutrition, Sept, 1991 by Cathleen Jensen

In a large room dotted with computer terminals, agents are busy booking reservations. An observer would never know that some of the workers in this hub of activity are making the long struggle back from homelessness.

The place is Days Inns corporate headquarters in Atlanta, where company executives have spearheaded a recruitment program to hire homeless adults who are capable of working. The effort--sparked by one franchise owner's volunteer work at a shelter for the homeless in his community--has made Days Inns a leader in offering long-term solutions to people needing to rebuild their lives.

Around the country, people working with private social service agencies and public assistance programs--like food stamps and AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)--are looking for ways to increase training and employment opportunities for their clients.

What Days Inns is doing to recruit, train, and, in some instances, offer housing to the homeless may be a source of inspiration and ideas for individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in helping in similar ways.

Visit to shelter

sparked idea

The program got its start in early 1988 when Days Inns franchise owner Bill Hodges invited the then-president of Days Inns, Mike Levin, to a job fair at the shelter where Hodges was a volunteer. According to Shira Miller, Days Inns community relations coordinator, the visit was an eye-opener for Levin and the other Days Inns representatives who accompanied him. What they expected and what they saw were very different things.

"When our staff went to the shelter," she explains, "they had preconceived notions about the homeless as people who wanted to be that way. They found that most of the people were there due to unfortunate circumstances--either they were sick, or they'd lost their jobs, or they couldn't pay the rent for some other reason like that."

The experience prompted Levin, Hodges, and Vice President of Human Resources Richard Smith to do more than offer a handout. They wanted to give these people a hand up. Since little had been done in the area of hiring the homeless, the trio set out on uncharted waters. The course they set was not without stormy weather. Of the first three employees hired under the pilot program, one left, two were fired. "We learned along the way," Smith says.

One group that was especially helpful was staff at the Achor Center, a shelter and job training facility that provides a variety of rehabilitative services to homeless women and children. In addition to referring potential employees from the women they serve at Achor, they also taught Days Inns recruiters techniques for screening possible hires.

"They taught us what to look for," says Miller. "Even though some people desire to work, they aren't capable of handling the job. Most of our employees are reservations sales agents. They are taking calls, so they have to be able to communicate."

"These are very

good employees"

While the Achor Center strongly supported Days Inns' efforts, the program was not without its share of nay sayers. "We heard things like 'it will never work' and 'You need to do a lot of research before you make a commitment,'" says Richard Smith. "People told us it wouldn't be worth our time and trouble and that the homeless would be undesirable employees.

"It does take a little more work and a little more commitment on the part of the employer," he adds, "and more management until the person is comfortable. Then he or she is just like any other employee. So it is worth the time and trouble."

Although Days Inns executives are proud to be helping people in need, Smith is quick to point out that Days Inns also benefits from the recruitment effort. "This is a business," he says. "The overwhelming majority of people think we're doing something very charitable, but there's nothing charitable about it. These are very good employees."

Most of the homeless people Days Inns has hired have been referred by staff at the shelters in which they are living. But Days Inns has also hired some people who had nowhere to live. In these cases, the hotelier provides units through cooperating franchise owners.

Each employee pays a modest sum for lodging through payroll deduction and signs a room covenant that outlines his or her responsibilities as a tenant. One of the many provisions under this agreement is that no child under the age of 17 may be left unattended in the room for any length of time.

While everyone hired through the program is encouraged to save and become independent, there is no limit on how long employees can live at Days Inns facilities. "Circumstances are different in each case," Smith says. "We cannot dictate to these people."

Offering a chance

to start over

Sensitivity, compassion, and respect characterize the way Days Inns executives approach their special recruits. They see their role as giving these people a chance to break through some of the barriers that homeless men and women can face when they are trying to start over.