Wardrobe for Opportunity

Cause Area

  • Community
  • Education & Literacy
  • Employment

Location

570 14th Street, Suite 5Oakland, CA 94612 United States

Organization Information

Mission Statement

Wardrobe for Opportunity (WFO) works in partnership with the community to assist low-income individuals to "Find a Job, Keep a Job, and Build a Career."

Description

WFO has provided unique educational opportunities to over 18,500 clients, offering critical programs to ensure that clients have the tools and support they need to achieve economic success for themselves, their families and their communities.

WFO offers a range of programs for every stage of career development:

FIND A JOB: Securing employment is a challenge facing thousands across the Bay Area. WFO partners with over fifty community organizations to support their work in helping low-income jobseekers find employment. WFO provides image workshops, professional clothing, professional image coaching, interview workshops and internships for low-income men and women, giving them the confidence, networks, and experience they need to pursue the career of their dreams.

KEEP A JOB: While finding employment is critical, maintaining the job is even more important. Thousands of clients secure employment only to struggle to balance their personal and professional responsibilities. WFO offers programs to ensure a supportive transition to employment. From working wardrobes to the innovative Pathways career development program, individuals prepare for long-term personal and professional success.

BUILD A CAREER: It is consistently a struggle for the working poor to advance beyond the entry-level. These individuals work hard, yet still struggle to make ends meet. WFO's year-long Success Series features workshops, financial literacy, career coaching and mentoring to provide participants with critical leadership and knowledge to advance in their careers. After graduation, these individuals become members of our alumni network with access to career coaching, matched savings accounts, and networking opportunities.

WFO has had a tremendous impact on the community over our fifteen-year history, helping thousands of individuals to secure employment and hundreds to keep their jobs and build careers. Given the economic climate and the challenges facing our communities, WFO has seen a dramatic increase in the demand for our services. Over the next year, WFO will aggressively expand its critical services to help low-income jobseekers and entry-level workers across the Bay Area gain the self-confidence, self-esteem and career-building tools needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families.

Reviews

Would you recommend Wardrobe for Opportunity?
2 reviews Write a review
by Juan Manuel C. from San Francisco, CA (2016-03-24 16:55:03.0)
Wardrobe for Opportunity does amazing work to help the community, everybody over there is really friendly. Im glad I have the chance to work with them and I would encourage professionals from different fields to lend a hand to their cause.
by Vicky F. (2015-04-22 08:57:11.0)
While the organization has a great mission and serves many wonderful and deserving clients, their shrinking and overwhelmed staff has impacted their efficacy. Over 8 yrs. of volunteering with WFO I see increasingly absent leadership, entrenched resistance to new ideas, and unnecessary petty bureaucracy. Operations have relied more and more on short term interns, volunteers are scrutinized by overzealous staffers with personal sensitivities, disorganization and gridlock are becoming institutionalized. It's a shame, but I can no longer recommend this experience to volunteers.

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