DAYTON, Ohio — As businesses face worker shortages, one group is trying something different to get people back to work. They’re planning on taking work clothes and services on the road.
Cindy Garner has a plan to take the organization that she runs mobile.
She’s the executive director at ‘Clothes That Work’ in Dayton. It’s a group that helps provide work clothes for people trying to get a job. The group recently got a grant to build a custom bus that would go straight to the people who need it.
“For 20, more than 20 years, the only way that we could serve our clients was if they came here to clothes that work, we’re thinking outside of the box and how we can make accessibility easier for our clients,” said Garner.
There’s one problem. Since COVID, she says the number of people they help dropped significantly. She says it’s about a third less in the last two years.
“The competition in the job market is just not what it was before and we questioned whether it is necessary for you to have a suit to go in for an interview,” said Garner.
It’s the reason she says they had to change the way they help.
“We’ve kind of backed away from some of that real formal attire,” said Garner. “However, everybody needs a good suit, so we still provide suiting and appropriate interview clothing.”
She said it’s not only clothes, but resume building, and interview classes they provide. They have plans to put it all on that new bus they want to roll out early next year and help get more people back to work.
“If you feel good and look good, you’re gonna really present well,” said Garner.
