Mass. College Offers Free Home Health Aide Training to Formerly Homeless People

Formerly homeless people trying to get their lives back on track are eligible for free home health aide training at a community college in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Massasoit Community College has partnered with Father Bill’s & MainSpring, an organization that provides shelter and other services for the homeless, to offer the certification class for people who are in transition from being homeless to living independently.

The class ordinarily costs $457, but people receiving services from Father Bill’s & MainSpring can enroll for free.

“The health care industry is one of the only industries growing right now,” Paul Key, the workforce director at Father Bill’s & MainSpring, told the Brockton Enterprise. “It will help people take the next step up in their career path and find jobs.”

PHI research shows that the demand for home health aides in Massachusetts is expected to grow by 54 percent by 2020.

Home health aide “is a great entry-level position where after only short-term training, they can enter the work force with a credential and be on the road to success,” Massasoit Public Relations Director Laurie Maker told the Enterprise.

— by Matthew Ozga