Affirmative Industries, which is a non-profit agency that helps mentally ill and other people with disabilities attain economic independence, is opening a new retail outlet in the former Urban Home space at 5689 Cunard Street, just around the corner from The Coast office.
The store should be open sometime next week, says Lori Edgar, AI’s supported work coordinator, and will sell household goods, pet supplies, candles, lamps and the like. The employees will learn basic work skills, which usually involves a 12-week training schedule, although sometimes it takes longer. Those skills in hand, they can then find jobs at other businesses in the community. Basically, AI is a leg up. Edgar says they’ll probably be able to help up to about 50 people in a year.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2012.