Ready to Work is unprecedented. No other city in the nation is supporting its residents like we are. With over $110 million in tuition assistance, hundreds of employers, training providers and colleges, community organizations and workforce agencies, we are in it together, for you.

Ready to Work makes continuing your education and finding a quality job easier for you. Your personal Ready to Work coach will help you with every step of the process, from understanding your specific situation, coaching you through career and education planning, enrolling and paying for your classes, increasing your confidence and soft skills, updating your resume, preparing you for interviews, connecting you to new job opportunities, and helping you thrive in your job.

Your journey begins with step one – Register online, call 3-1-1, or visit a Ready To Work Partner Agency.

Our full list of programs can be found here.

Our full list of employers can be found here.

Our Partner Agency, Restore Education, connects students with no-cost, flexible pathways so they can advance their education and launch in-demand careers. Eligibility Requirements can be found here.

Services include:

• Intake
• Case Management
• Testing (Entrance Exam)
• Training in these Fields:

• Medical Front Office
• Phlebotomy
• Medical Assistant
• Office Support
• Financial Services Representative
• Bookkeeping Assistant
• Transportation Design Technician
• Logistics Technician
• Information Technician

English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are offered to refugee’s age 16 years or older. Classes are provided for refugees to gain the language skills necessary to become self-sufficient, and to find and sustain employment.

Monthly bus passes are also provided to eliminate all challenges and obstacles between the student and their opportunity to learn.

This program takes place at Lutheran House of Prayer, 10226 Ironside Dr.

The Education Program’s services and all classroom materials are provided to students free of charge, including childcare services, interpreting and translation services.

The employment services program provides job readiness skills, lessons on interviewing and assists with employment services and job placements. The employment team works with refugees to provide them skills and knowledge necessary in obtaining, and maintaining, employment, while becoming self-sufficient.

The FRC provides the following services to family members of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals:

• Assistance with basic needs (food, clothing, transportation, ID cards, etc.
• Employment assistance through job readiness, and job referrals
• Regular support group meetings
• Substance recovery classes
• Chaplaincy services
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Mental health counseling
• Public utilities assistance (when funding is available)
• Parenting classes
• Anger management classes
• Art therapy for victims of domestic violence

• Identification
• Proof of incarceration

Chrysalis Ministries offers in-house life skill classes for all clients. We also partner with multiple non-profits to help further client's education.

Available classes:

• Job Readiness and Career Development with two annual job fairs (No fee required)
• Money Management
• 12-Step Faith-based Substance Abuse and Recovery (NA & AA)
• Anger Management Class ($55 fee)
• Theft Addiction and Recovery
• Healthy Relationships
• Seeking Safety: PTSD and Substance Abuse Pastoral Counseling (No fee)
• Parenting Classes (No cost)
• Moral Recognition Therapy (No charge)

Click here for program times & dates.

Fees vary

Ready to Work is unprecedented. No other city in the nation is supporting its residents like we are. With over $110 million in tuition assistance, hundreds of employers, training providers and colleges, community organizations and workforce agencies, we are in it together, for you.

Ready to Work makes continuing your education and finding a quality job easier for you. Your personal Ready to Work coach will help you with every step of the process, from understanding your specific situation, coaching you through career and education planning, enrolling and paying for your classes, increasing your confidence and soft skills, updating your resume, preparing you for interviews, connecting you to new job opportunities, and helping you thrive in your job.

Your journey begins with step one – Register online, call 3-1-1, or visit a Ready To Work Partner Agency.

Our full list of programs can be found here.

Our full list of employers can be found here.

Our Partner Agency, Chrysalis Ministries, provides hands-on case management services to help former inmates and their families as they overcome the consequences of incarceration. Eligibility Requirements can be found here.

Services include:

• Intake
• Assessment
• Case Management
• Referrals for Training

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation provides a continuum of care to low-income HIV-positive men, women, and transgender individuals. Our services include resource and benefits assistance, case management, mental health counseling, medical care, pharmacy services, housing, and a year-round hot meal program.

We offer onsite and mobile testing for HIV and STDs, as well as HIV prevention education presentations in local public schools, colleges and universities, adult probation facilities, and teen detention programs.

Services are only available to individuals living with HIV/AIDS who are registered clients of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation.

Learn at SAPL is an adult education program that provides individualized job support and computer training.

• Technology and Computer Training
• Job Help
• English as a Second Language
• GED

For drop-in help in one of these areas, please come between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Service days may vary by location.

Adults

Free

• Drop-In Technology Help
• Computer Skills Classes
• Free Computer Use

At the Dress for Success San Antonio Career Center, we have a knowledgable staff and a wide range of tools to get you started on the path towards a new career.

We offer:

• Computers available (first come, first serve)
• Internet job searching
• Apply online for numerous jobs
• Email potential employers
• Build and securely store your job-winning resume
• Printer, telephone, and fax available
• Professional lending library

Appointment required for one-on-one assistance with job search, resume building and learning to take on-line courses.

Free.

The ECBO program provides employment services such as Job Readiness Training and Remedial Education Training to Texans experiencing homelessness and unemployment. Supportive services for clients such as childcare, housing assistance, and substance abuse counseling, and crisis intervention as needed can be coordinated through community partners.

This program provides:

• Skills assessment
• Resume writing
• Help to complete job applications
• Job search assistance
• Job fairs/hiring events
• Access to online services (computer lab use and assistance with setting up an email account, sending/receiving emails, online applications, uploading documents)
• Assistance accessing training (registration, funds to pay for classes/certifications)
• Help securing needed documents (driver’s license, photo identification)
• Help to pay for work-related items (uniforms, tools, safety gear, bus passes, etc.)

The Employer and Community-Based Organization (ECBO) Initiative Program offers employment services to individuals who are unemployed and facing homelessness.

• Free Computer Use

Offers job search and job development assistance to veterans.

Veterans.

Employment placement, job readiness, support services, and personalized case management tailored to help participants become self-sufficient.

• Must be homeless AND unemployed
• Must be at least 16 years of age and authorized to work
• Will need Texas ID and SSN

Free.

Another project operated by the Veterans Enterprises of Texas is a specially designed center that provides work opportunities for veterans with disabilities that are not ready for mainstream employment. The VETS Work Center is a sheltered environment that promotes temporary work opportunities that will assist in the transformation of these veterans to reach their full potential and enter a mainstream work environment.

"VETS" is a member organization of the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH), also known as Ability-One. "VETS" seeks out contract opportunities with government and private industry to create work that will be conducive to the hiring of a workforce of disabled veterans.

The VETS Work Center’s primary work is "kitting," where assembly of products or materials into a kit create an in-product. A great example is the current contract the Work Center is performing for the U.S. Army who awards retiring soldiers a beautiful commemorative box with a folded American flag, lapel pin, a DVD of information, and some auto decals for retirees. The VETS box manufacturing company (described above) produces the box, and the disabled veterans at the VETS Work Center fold the flags and assemble the pieces to create the commemorative retirement kit.

The Center, which was specifically designed for this fulfillment work, has great warehouse space, robust electrical and pneumatic systems for contracts requiring repetitive "bench work" (i.e. electrical soldering, pneumatic hand tools, etc.). The Work Center is an important element in the continuum of care offered to veterans by the American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program, and it provides disabled veterans a means of recovery with pride and dignity.

Interested customers are encouraged to contact the American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program for further information on the work of the VETS Work Center at (210) 223-4088. This non-profit entity is approved as a charitable organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service.

Disabled veterans.

Our 25-week Registered Dental Assistant Training Program provides students with free books, uniforms, supplies, immunizations, bus passes (if needed), shoe vouchers, and backpacks.

This highly competitive program is also tuition-free for those who are selected.

Other schools provide the same education starting at $16,000 over ten months or longer. Students receive hands-on training and work one-on-one with staff, volunteer dentists/hygienists, and patients.

Students applying must:

• Live in Bexar County
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Provide an ID
• Hold a social security number

Class is held Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, for a selected 23-week period.

The last two weeks in the program require the student to be in class Monday through Friday (all day) to complete the 25 weeks successfully.

Tuition Free.

If you are experiencing homelessness, the PATH outreach team can connect you to:

• health care
• income support
• legal services
• mental health treatment
• rehabilitation training in social skills
• social services
• substance use treatment
• ID recovery
• referrals for affordable housing and employment

The PATH Program serves people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and serious mental illness.

Supported Employment is an additional service that CHCS consumers are able to receive to assist them in finding and obtaining employment and teaches them the skills necessary to manage their mental illness while maintaining employment.  Click Here

The Transformational Campus provides residential housing while clients work to overcome the issues that led to their becoming homeless.

Haven's Promise

• You will ALWAYS be treated with kindness, compassion, dignity, and respect.
• You will always sleep indoors, even in the Courtyard.
• You will receive three hot meals a day and any clothing you need.
• You will be connected to housing, through Haven Housing and our partners.
• You will be connected to medical care, dental care, eye care, and mental health care.

Over 150 partner organizations collaborate to provide comprehensive services, including:

• Housing
• Employment opportunities
• ID Recovery: Social Security card, birth certificate, driver’s license
• Application Assistance for Social Security, Disability, Medicare, SNAP
• Substance use recovery
• Detox
• Sober living
• LGBTQ services
• Medical care
• Eyecare
• Dental care
• Psychiatric services
• Counseling
• Help with abuse, trauma
• GED classes
• Support for parents
• Support for school-age kids
• Legal services
• Showers, laundry
• Computer use

Space on the Transformational Campus is limited and we cannot guarantee that a bed will be immediately available.

All services are at no cost to Haven clients.

• Computer Skills Classes
• Free Wi-Fi
• Free Computer Use

Thrive’s emergency shelter is housed on the campus of Haven for Hope and provides 10 young adults with shelter for up to 6 months.

The core services at our emergency shelter include not only basic needs of food and shelter but individually tailored and youth-directed case management plans to help young adults move forward in exiting homelessness.

Thrive assists young adults with linkage to resources such as ID recovery, counseling, medical services, gender-affirming care, educational opportunities, and vocational training in a safe and supportive environment.

Our focus is to help remove barriers that young adults may encounter in seeking services and help guide them toward their next move in achieving their goals.

LGBTQ youth and young adults.

Free.

The Courtyard offers indoor sleeping to all individuals age 18 and older.

Haven's Promise

• You will always be treated with kindness, compassion, dignity, and respect.
• You will always sleep indoors.
• You will receive three hot meals a day and any clothing you need.

Services Available

• Housing through Haven Housing and our partners
• Employment opportunities
• ID Recovery: Social Security card, birth certificate, driver’s license
• Application Assistance for Social Security, Disability, Medicare, SNAP
• Substance use recovery
• Detox
• Sober living
• LGBTQ services
• Medical care
• Eyecare
• Dental care
• Psychiatric services
• Counseling
• Help with abuse, trauma
• GED classes
• Support for parents
• Support for school-age kids
• Legal services
• Showers, laundry
• Computer use

For additional information, contact [email protected].

There are no ID or drug test requirements.

All services are at no cost to Haven clients.

• Computer Skills Classes
• Free Wi-Fi
• Free Computer Use

The Family Assistance Center’s main focus is to provide low income families and individuals with the support they need to move toward better jobs and financial self-sufficiency. Through combined federal (Community Services Block Grant), utility (CPS Energy and SAWS), and general fund dollars, the Department of Human Services’ Family Assistance Centers provides help to families in San Antonio and Bexar County that are seeking to meet basic needs, such as utilities and those aiming for better employment.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTERS

UTILITY ASSISTANCE

• Plumbers to People (SAWS)
• Project Agua (SAWS)
• Project REAP (CPS Energy)
• Utility Assistance Application - Electronic Version (Recommended for use with smartphones)
• Utility Assistance Application - Paper Version

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS

• Work Support & Case Management
• Job readiness

OTHER

• Assistance in applying for Benefits (Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc.)
• Referrals to other Community Services

The Employment Readiness Program (ERP) offers resources to help with your career plan and job search. Whether you’re a military spouse or Family member who just moved to a new installation, Retiree, or DoD civilian looking for new opportunities, or active duty Military, active Reserve, National Guard member, or Wounded Warrior, we’re here to help.

Our services include:

• Up-to-date information on local, national, and international employment opportunities, job market trends and education, and volunteer resources
• Information on job fairs (in person and virtual) and other hiring events
• Assistance with employment applications
• Career counseling and individual career assessments
• Résumé critiques
• Classes and seminars on self-assessment and career exploration, resume writing, interviewing techniques, dressing for success, networking, and entrepreneurship
• Information on spouse licensure reimbursement (re-licensing at a new duty station can be costly)

*Not all programs and classes are available at all ACS facilities.

Active duty military and retired Army personnel, families, and civilian employees.

The Living Heritage Trades Academy of San Antonio is a program developed by the Office of Historic Preservation to provide training of traditional crafts and skills through apprenticeships, hands-on training, and class instruction on topics related to pre-1960 traditional building construction methods and materials. This program is approved for SA Ready to Work participants.

Certifications include:

• Wood Window Restoration
• Architectural Carpentry
• Traditional House Carpentry
• Masonry Repair
• Deconstruction

Eligible participants will also receive paid training, free financial counseling, and support services provided by the Family Service Financial Empowerment Center.

SAMMinistries' Homeless Prevention Services provides temporary rental assistance and utility assistance (CPS Energy only) to individuals and families who are in imminent danger of eviction.

Payments are not made directly to the participant.

Due to volume, we are unable to accommodate walk-in clients.

Clients:

• must apply for assistance online.
• must have an eviction notice, notice to vacate, or utility disconnection notice.
• must have some stable form of income.

Click here to get started.

Personalized Career & Training Assistance for Justice-Involved Clients.

Goodwill Reentry Services understands individuals' unique challenges when reentering into society after incarceration, from reconnecting with family to finding employment.

Our staff provides one-on-one career coaching with a focus on:

• Identifying your career interests
• Developing your resume
• Practicing interview skills
• Completing online job applications
• Connecting to employers or training programs

Additionally, individuals can enroll in training programs, which include construction trades, warehousing, and logistics.

Requirements:

• At least18 years old
• Have a Valid ID
• Eligible to work in the United States
• Released from prison within the last two years
• Currently on Parole, Probation, or Supervised Release
• Can work full-time

If you are interested in finding out more, send an email to Reentry Services at [email protected].

Our trained staff can help you answer the following questions:

• How do I write my resume to highlight my experience and get the attention of recruiters?
• How do I search for and apply to jobs that meet my needs?
• What careers am I interested in and how do I get started?
• What should I expect during an interview and how do I make a good first impression?
• What workplace skills do I need to be successful at my new job?
• What are the best ways to apply for government jobs?

Our staff provides one-on-one career coaching that focuses on:

• Identifying your career interests
• Developing or updating your resume
• Connecting to employers
• Completing online job applications
• Practicing interview tactics
• Preparing for the first day of your job

If you have a hearing or vision disability, we can coordinate support for you.

For Loredo information, call 956-766-4016.

The NXT Level Youth Opportunity Center, managed by the City's Department of Human Services in coordination with Goodwill and Communities in Schools, assists young adults (16-24) disengaged youth with the steps necessary to go back to school or find a job related to their interest

NXT Level is a City of San Antonio program partnered with Communities in Schools (CIS) and Goodwill Industries. The program serves young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are disconnected from education, work, and major societal support systems.

We are committed to providing a safe space where every 16 to 24 year old achieves their personal, educational, and/or career goals.

We connect each participant with a life and education/career coach. Coaches offer on-going case management, counseling, life skills, and referrals to community partners with demonstrated success.

Anyone between the ages of 16-24 who resides in San Antonio qualifies for the services and can either schedule an appointment or walk in to meet with a NXT Level coach.

Free

This center provides programs to help seniors lead active, independent, and engaged lives. This is done through comprehensive nutrition, wellness, and education services.

Services include:

• A daily lunchtime meal
• Transportation services to eligible seniors living within a 5-mile radius of the center 

Programs and activities include:

• Arts & Crafts
• Basic Health Screenings
• Exercise classes
• Field trips
• Library
• Recreation and dance
• Social services
• Technology classes
• Work search programs

To become eligible to attend this center and participate in services, individuals must reside in Bexar County and meet one of the following criteria:

• 60 years and older
• Under 60 years married to a 60+ participant who attends the center and accompanies the participant to the center
• Under 60 years, disabled, and resides with a 60+ participant and accompanies the participant to the center (only applicable to the HEAL Meal Program)

• Free Wi-Fi
• Free Computer Use

Learn at SAPL is an adult education program that provides individualized job support and computer training. 

• Technology and Computer Training
• Job Help
• English as a Second Language
• GED

Adults. 

Click here to learn more about Learn at SAPL and its programs.

Free

• Drop-In Technology Help
• Computer Skills Classes

Individuals who have had any criminal justice involvement in the past and are looking to plan their personal comeback can find assistance at the Bexar County Reentry Center.

Our Reentry team can help you increase your level of employability, obtain higher educational levels, and acquire specialized job training. A variety of other services and resources are also available to you as well. Call us for an appointment!

Free

Learn at SAPL is an adult education program that provides individualized job support and computer training.

• Technology and Computer Training
• Job Help
• English as a Second Language
• GED

For drop-in help in one of these areas, please come between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Service days may vary by location.

Adults. 

Click here to learn more about Learn at SAPL and its programs.

Free.

• Drop-In Technology Help
• Computer Skills Classes
• Free Computer Use