By Alexus Davila, KOTA-TV
Posted: Wed 7:54 PM, Jul 17, 2019 |Updated: Thu 12:17 AM, Jul 18, 2019
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) - To help the homeless get off the streets, Western Dakota Tech is partnering with One Heart to offer education.
One Heart is a program intended to help the homeless get out of poverty.
The organization's executive director Charity Doyle says education gives the homeless a chance to get out of the ongoing cycle of poverty.
"Many of these people have the aptitudes and the desires and they want to build these better lives but maybe they've never known anybody to go and talk to about higher education. So it's a scary process. They just don't know where to start," said Doyle.
This is why Western Dakota Tech is now on board.
The school will be adding an office on campus to help explain the educational opportunities available. The office will have counselors who can help administer tests, discuss financial aid and refer potential students to the Career Learning Center or the GED program.
But this could also help build the local economy by preparing individuals to take on jobs in the Black Hills area.
"So we can help guide people at the One Heart campus to figuring out some new strategies to get into a program that will in a one or two-year time frame, or even shorter perhaps, lead to a really good paying job," said Western Dakota Tech President Ann Bolman.
Bolman said to ensure there is enough staff available there is a possibility there will be more hires, but there is enough time to figure out the details.
"People are craving this, they want that support. And to bring that all under one roof is really powerful," sai Doyle.
The campus office is expected to be up and running by January 2021.
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