Meet Brent Downs of St. Joseph the Worker (SJW) in Downtown Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent Downs.

Brent, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After a successful career in the for profit sector, I relocated to Phoenix 18 years ago and began working for a local established nonprofit. In 2012 I became the Executive Director of St Joseph the Worker and for the first time in my professional career I discovered my “why.” I am filled with gratitude every day when I get to the office and get the opportunity to work with amazing people with a passion for serving those in our community.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Coming into a small and grassroots, privately funded nonprofit that works with the homeless in our community has its challenges. We had to build a new culture and vision of growth to serve more of the underserved in our community without deviating from our core mission. There were lots of struggles with building revenue streams, community partners and staffing changes along the way as we began to grow at a rapid pace from 500 clients at our only office on the Human Services Campus downtown to more than 5000 clients throughout Maricopa County. Our annual budget grew also from $600,000 to $1,600,000 during this time. We had our first Capital Campaign in 25 years to purchase, renovate and launch our Mobile Success Unit, a 39’ RV that was converted into a mobile office.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about St. Joseph the Worker (SJW) – what should we know?
SJW is a truly remarkable organization that has served the Phoenix community for 30 years and remained laser focused on our mission of removing all barriers to a person gaining and maintaining quality employment. We have one outcome and that is a client getting a job! Being privately funded we have the ability to focus on meeting our clients where they are and not trying to place our clients into a certain program based on funding.

The dedication and passion of our staff is what makes SJW successful. Being able to serve over 5000 clients with only 15 staff members is a testament to their abilities and commitment. I am also proud that we have created a culture of allowing each person to find their “why” within their job at SJW like I have been blessed to do!

Do you feel like our city is a good place for businesses like yours? If someone was just starting out, would you recommend them starting out here? If not, what can our city do to improve?
The Phoenix community is very philanthropic and supportive of our mission and clients. After meeting with other large cities around the country, I gained a greater appreciation for the faithful supporters we have found at SJW. The best suggestions I can make to someone starting a new agency is to explore the need and avoid duplication of services. There is a tremendous number of nonprofit agencies in the Valley!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1125 W. Jackson Street
  Phoenix, AZ 85007
• Website: www.sjwjobs.org
• Phone: 602-417-9854
• Email: info@sjwjobs.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stjosephtheworker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JosephtheWorker/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StJoetheWorker?lang=en

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