Centralina News

Veteran Battling Homelessness Receives Assistance from NCWorks Career Center-Cabarrus and Centralina WDB

Sep 29, 2020

Eugene Spence enrolled in Centralina WDB funded WIOA services at the NCWorks Career Center in Concord in January 2020. He was looking for financial assistance in becoming a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) as well as simultaneously using his GI Bill to pay for his degree in nursing.

Eugene, a US Navy veteran, was honorably discharged in 2013. While in the Navy, he was in the Artillery and Missile Crew on an aircraft carrier.  After the Navy, he worked in warehouse and maintenance positions.

Just before Eugene started CNA training, he went through a major setback. He suddenly became homeless and was sleeping in his car. He called the NCWorks Career Center one day. He was not himself and was feeling very down. He did not have family support. He felt like he should give up. He was at a breaking point. But together with the help of NCWorks-Cabarrus staff, he was able to refocus and get his determination back. He started training on time and was able to live with a relative while in class.

“Eugene is a military veteran who has no trouble with the vision for his life; he just needed help to get started and WIOA services helped him with that by paying for the Certified Nurse Aide training,” said Brandye Bradley, Talent Development Consultant at NCWorks Career Center-Cabarrus.

Eugene is currently working at RHA Health Services, a group home in Salisbury as a Direct Support Professional. In this position, he aids disabled clients in his care who is recovering from a serious illness. He assists the clients with daily living activities, accompanying them to doctor appointments, cooking, serving meals, performing light housekeeping duties, running errands, and providing companionship. It was in this position where Eugene found his passion for caring for people and decided to pursue nursing.

During his CNA training, Eugene was able to negotiate a pay increase with his employer since he would have his nurse aide certification. Upon completion of training, his employer offered him a raise

To find out more about our NCWorks Career Centers in the Centralina WDB region, visit www.centralinaworkforce.com and follow us on social media.

Tags: Career Seekers Success Stories Career Colleges & Universities Education Employment Job Placement

Kaleidoscopic

Site By Kaleidoscopic
Powered By Pagecraft.Solutions