"If [families ties are impossible], what we really tried to do is build ongoing relationships between the men at Christ House itself," he said.
"Them bonding within the context of Christ ... then what that seems to do is enable them to reconnect with other people."
Through interactions with professionals and other job-seekers, the men are built up with encouragement, he explained.
"It's important to remind people that they have value" in their dignity and in their work, Schuyler added.
"The organization needs you and it depends on you. Your colleagues are dependent upon you … if you do [your job] well, you are part of a thing that's making an organization succeed."
"If you think of only the [task] you're doing, [like] the washing of the dishes, it's pretty easy to think of yourself as not having value in this." But, he said, "if you think of yourself as part of a team of people that are enabling people to have a delicious dinner, I think you can feel that you will have human value that's worth it."
Catholic News Agency spoke with Dorian Spring and Leon Brown, both of whom participated in the program recently. The men had been homeless, and either not working or underemployed. Now, they have promising careers.
Spring entered the program about six months ago, after his landlord sold his home, leaving him homeless. He had been working at a hotel for 15 years, he said, but there was no room to move upwards in the company.
"I was very stressed out and then basically abused," he said, noting that he had been passed over for promotions despite his lengthy employment and good attendance.
"I had to find something else and I talk[ed] to the CAN group about it," he said. "They help you make yourself better, like with your resume and [preparation] for interviews and how to present yourself in interviews," he added.
After coming to Christ House, Spring discovered new approaches to pursuing a higher position in a company.
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He is now working for Georgetown University Hotel Conference Center, where he has company benefits and an opportunity for a raise every six months.
Spring explained that because of his background in hotel work, CAN worked with him to discover the goals of his career. He expressed hope that he might eventually be promoted to hotel management. He said CAN also helped him discover skills in his current profession, which are reflected in other professions, like office work.
"They keep you motivated," he said, noting that the house is always open for people to return for additional help.
"They were very good to me."
Brown joined Christ House over nine months ago, with no housing and no job. Now, he is working as a dishwasher at Hen Quarters, a restaurant serving Southern comfort food in Alexandria. He cleans dishes, floors, and linens.
Brown said he feels like a valuable part of the team.