The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank) has given a $35,000 grant to Beacon Group to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Phoenix.

Beacon Group is a local nonprofit organization that has been providing training and employment for people with disabilities in Tucson and Phoenix since 1952. The grant was one of only five Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program grants awarded in Arizona by the FHLBank in 2015. Beacon’s request was sponsored by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank, which is a Member of the FHLBank.

The Beacon expansion project will specifically approach local businesses in Phoenix to hire Beacon crews to perform on-site work such as custodial, clerical, warehouse work and landscaping. This gives people with disabilities a critical hands-on training in the real world of work that, hopefully, gives them the experience, confidence and opportunity to be able to work in full-time regular employment. Overall, people with disabilities face a crushing 70 percent unemployment rate.

Businesses interested in talking about becoming a community worksite are encouraged to contact the Beacon office in Phoenix at 602-685-9703.

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