Local Father Finds Success with the Help of Project Self-Sufficiency

Two years ago, Rick Kuiken and his then five-year-old son were homeless. Kuiken’s work history included a variety of blue collar positions, from auto mechanic to warehouse employee to furniture delivery person. Kuiken was eventually sidelined with an injury when a piece of furniture fell on his knee. When he finally recovered, his employment situation was tenuous. With no salary and a wife with a substance abuse problem, Kuiken moved into a shelter with his son. Then he contacted Project Self-Sufficiency for help in getting a fresh start. Kuiken registered for courses through the agency’s Men’s Employment Lab, a comprehensive program which combines computer skills training with job placement assistance and other support services.

Kuiken took full advantage of the services provided by the program at Project Self-Sufficiency, from life skills tips to aptitude surveys to job searching services. “I was homeless and I lost everything I owned in order to gain everything. I have nothing but positivity about what I went through,” remarks Kuiken. “It comes down to good people who are here to help you, even if it means getting you a pair of slacks to wear to a job interview. At Project Self-Sufficiency, they help you in so many different ways. As long as you listen, pay attention, and absorb what they are telling you, you will absolutely succeed.”

The Men’s Employment Lab is just one of the programs offered at Project Self-Sufficiency’s Career & Employment Center. Participants are initially paired with a case manager who helps to assess the individual’s personal and professional needs and establish short and long-term goals. Once identified, each participant is given the leeway to create their own path to economic self-sufficiency. Computer classes, job searching assistance, job training programs, GED instruction and college preparation courses are available, along with services to improve the family’s stability, such as parenting workshops, legal assistance and help with emergency basic needs, like food and clothing.

Now employed as an installer with Precision Overhead Garage Doors, Kuiken brings home a good salary and he enjoys his work. More importantly, he and his son are thriving. “He is highly intelligent,” says Kuiken about his young boy. “He’s a very happy little guy.”

Project Self-Sufficiency is a community-based non-profit organization which specializes in services for low-income families in northwestern New Jersey. Programs offered at Project Self-Sufficiency include family literacy education, computer training and job placement services, assistance with parenting skills, childcare, counseling and advocacy, referrals, and help with emergency basic needs. For information about the programs and services offered by Project Self-Sufficiency, visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org or call 973-940-3500 or 844-807-3500.