The Story of Nicholas

The Better Way Detroit (BWD) team often visits homeless shelters in the area to offer residents opportunities for a better life.

For Nicholas, he was homeless and living at the Covenant House in Detroit when BWD offered him four weeks of supervised job training at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. BWD also provided transportation services for residents employed at the thrift store – ensuring they got to work each day.

After completing this training, Nicholas met with Quiane Bates, operations manager for BWD. She connected him with the M Training Center, a paid program that teaches skills in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, appliance repair, painting, and drywall. Upon completion, Nicholas was hired to work in a full-time position as a maintenance technician. And, because of this job, he was able to save up enough money to move out of the homeless shelter and into his own place.  

“My life before wasn’t very great. I wasn’t very responsible, and I wasn’t holding myself accountable. It’s wild how much my life has changed in less than a year because of Better Way Detroit,” Nicholas said.

“Now, I’m doing work in a field I can grow into, and I’m picking up skills I can expand on. It has given me a sense of confidence, and I’m progressing in an upward direction – instead of moving from job to job. I’ve been able to accomplish things that are important to me thanks to this program.”