Workforce Development - Crossroads Mission Avenue

Teaching new skills for future job opportunities

Crossroads Mission Avenue’s mission statement is Bringing glory to God through the helping of people! Helping our guests recover and live independently is our goal, and a key component is our focus on Workforce Development!

Job training is an important part of helping our guests get back on their feet! In Phase 2 & 3 of Crossroads Mission Avenue’s 4-Phase Recovery Program, guests secure and maintain employment, learning how to manage their time and finances. At Crossroads we teach new skills to open future job opportunities for our guests.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
Colossians 3:23

Crossroads Mission Avenue supplies job training opportunities for our guests through:

Crossroads Mission Avenue Campuses

Guests work alongside our staff learning janitorial, plumbing, and handyman skills, including painting, construction, and basic repairs. As our guests work in our commercial kitchens, they are learning culinary skills in food service, as well as skills useful in the hospitality industry.

Mission Avenue Thrift Stores

Guests learn the basics of retail operations in our stores.

Crossroads Mission Avenue’s Recycle Program

Employment opportunities in the area of recycling continue to expand. Guests get hands-on experience in sorting, baling, and packaging items for recycle, and preparation for global markets.

Premium Blend Birdseed

Crossroads Mission Avenue partners with Green Cover Seed to produce a Birdseed product which is then sold in our Mission Avenue Thrift Stores.

Something New!

Vermicomposting: Worm-farming brings employment to several Crossroads Mission Avenue guests while supporting the services provided by the Mission!

Our worm castings are produced by worms farmed at Crossroads Mission Avenue. Worms are fed fruits and vegetables that are far past their shelf life and would otherwise end up in local landfills. Worm castings help build nutrient-rich soil to grow strong, healthy, and productive plants. Your purchase of this High Quality Worm Casting Soil Amendment helps support Central Nebraska homeless outreach and recycling efforts through Crossroads Mission Avenue!

Preparing our guests for the job market

In our efforts to provide jobs and job training to our guests, our Workforce Development Program assists those who are having a hard time entering the workforce. Many life circumstances make finding a job difficult:

Advanced age
Language barriers
Lack of education
Disabilities

Prior incarceration
Mental health barriers
Extended time out of the workforce

Over the years, Crossroads Mission Avenue has prepared countless individuals for the job market through job training experience gained while staying at the Mission. Many guests have gone on to work for our organization, filling positions of great responsibility.

New skills learned and experience gained through the Crossroads Mission Avenue Workforce Development Program open future job opportunities for our guests!

Coming Soon!

In coordination with this, Crossroads plans to build a geothermal greenhouse on the Kearney Crossroads Mission Avenue campus. A key addition to the Workforce Program, the greenhouse will provide job training, jobs, education, and a therapeutic environment for the guests who participate. Crossroads plans to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse. This program and the related efforts are under the umbrella of the Crossroads Mission Avenue Community Gardens.

All profits from the various Workforce Development projects provide job training for our guests and local jobs, while directly supporting the Crossroads Mission Avenue Rescue Mission facilities and programs in Central Nebraska!