There are very few things in life that can give a person as much a sense of self-worth and confidence as a job. Being employed is the key to independence, stability, and building a future, but unfortunately not everyone has equal opportunities to seek and retain employment.

Luckily, there are organizations out there to help level the playing field and assist those who either need help getting employment, or would benefit greatly from having mentors to help get their careers headed in the right direction.

For more than a century, Goodwill has led the pack of these employment-based social enterprises, by providing training, placement, and even jobs for veterans, disabled individuals, and those who face other employment challenges. In recent decades, however, more and more organizations have risen up at the place where profitable, self-sustaining business intersects with a mission to help those who could use an employment boost.

These days, people from all walks of life can get assistance not only with finding jobs, but with learning ways to turn a single job placement into a wider career opportunity. Here are a few organizations that are reaching out into their respective communities and making a difference in people’s lives.

These days, people from all walks of life can get assistance not only with finding jobs, but with learning ways to turn a single job placement into a wider career opportunity.

1. Youth Express

For more than thirty years, Keystone Community Services in St. Paul, Minnesota has managed an initiative called Youth Express, which mentors local teens and helps give them the skills they will need to become business leaders and entrepreneurs. Young people can participate in a paid internship program which involves them working at one of two retail locations— Express Yourself Clothing or Express Bike Shop.

The internship is not just a normal part-time job, though – interns are placed in decision-making roles, and have a direct say in how the business is run. As such, they quickly understand that their opinions matter, and instead of being told what to do, they are asked to make judgment calls on what tasks need to be prioritized, and are given guidance in making the best choices for the business. The hope, of course, is that the teens will then take what they learned in the internship and apply it either to a more advanced position elsewhere, or to running their own business in the future.

2. Mission Pie

There are quite a few restaurants that commit to sustainability and local produce, but San Francisco’s Mission Pie goes a step further and commits to educating its employees on these topics, as well. The restaurant sources the highest quality ingredients from local farms and distributors, and collaborates with nonprofit organizations to give internships to those who face barriers to employment.

More than half of Mission Pie’s staff are under 25, which means young people get a chance to build a strong career foundation while learning the basics of sustainable living and ethical food production.

3. Delancy Street Foundation

Sometimes when you’ve hit bottom, it’s impossible to see how to climb back up again. The Delancy Street Foundation is a self-help residential organization that gives people the help they need to rebuild their lives one step at a time. Part of that rebuilding process involves getting the residents back into the workforce. The Delancy Street Restaurant employs them, and the proceeds from the restaurant help feed, clothe, and support them while they integrate back into mainstream society.

The Delancy Street Foundation is a self-help residential organization that gives people the help they need to rebuild their lives one step at a time. Part of that rebuilding process involves getting the residents back into the workforce.

4. Rubicon Bakery

For people who have spent time incarcerated, reentering the workforce can be an especially difficult challenge. Most job applications ask whether or not you have been convicted of a crime, and if the answer is yes, quite often doors close opportunities are shut down. But at Rubicon Bakery in Richmond, past life troubles don’t present a barrier to future success.

Owner Andrew Stoloff is committed to giving people the second chance they need to get their lives back on track, even going as far as giving no-interest loans to employees so they can get ahead without snowballing into debt. Many employees of the bakery do not have formal educations, and would not be given a chance at most companies. Stoloff helps them rebuild their lives, and in return has been rewarded with fantastic employees.

5. Juma Ventures

The cycle of poverty can be very difficult to break, and often kids from low-income families grow up to be low-income adults. Some are even homeless, living on the streets by the time they’re teenagers, with little hope of an education or a career.

Juma Ventures aims to intervene and transform the lives of these young people, serving low-income young people in six cities across the nation. The goal is to redirect the kids onto a path that leads to college, helping them with employment in social enterprises, managing finances, and educational preparation.

6. REDF

g. So if a homeless shelter, for example, wants to start a side business for the purpose of hiring the residents as employees and helping them get back on their feet, REDF can step in

The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) works more in a facilitative role, helping organizations that are building employment-based social enterprises. REDF fills in the blanks where organizations may not have the business acumen or the resources to get a social enterprise started, stepping in to help along the way and make sure the enterprise gets off to a smooth start.

In addition to operational expertise, REDF can also provide necessary business connections, as well as funding. So if a homeless shelter, for example, wants to start a side business for the purpose of hiring the residents as employees and helping them get back on their feet, REDF can step in and help them create their new business, to give the new social enterprise the best chance of success.