Those feeling economic crunch get a little LIFT

LEA WENDER has the difficult task of going into work every day and telling people they can get jobs in an economy in which there are few, and that they can rise above their troubles when many are buckling under.

In the four months she has worked at LIFT Philadelphia, not one of her clients has reported to have gotten a job.

"It can be exhausting," said Wender, 20, a summer intern. "But we keep an upbeat attitude because that's what we're here for. And when you do get a success story, it makes it all worth it."

The Merion native and junior at the University of Michigan is one of at least 60 college students volunteering at LIFT Philadelphia, a nonprofit agency that provides free services like housing and career assistance and help filling out food-stamp applications.

And as the economic decline continues, LIFT is busier than ever.

"There's a lot of need here," said Josh Romalis, executive director of LIFT, which has offices in North and West Philadelphia.

"We're up against some brutal challenges and at the end of the day you're not going to fix everything," he said, "but we're doing the best we can."

This year, the 11-year-old agency doubled the number of people it served over the previous year to 1,000 and meetings with clients were up by 70 percent. But the ratio of people who have come in looking for jobs and gotten them is down 50 percent. Only 60 people have found work this year.

Even so, the volunteers and four AmeriCorps members work tirelessly each day, helping sort through the red tape and paperwork to get benefits and jobs for the people who walk through their doors. Unlike other similar programs, LIFT, formerly National Student Partnerships, has no eligibility requirement. So no one is denied help.

"It's a wonderful thing that these guys have done coming in to this community setting up shop like they have," said Ellistine Forte, who started coming in three years ago and visits the West Philadelphia office three to four times a month.

"Many people have come through these doors and have gotten help," she added. "I tell everyone I know, 'Go here, bring your forms. Whatever it is they can dig through this stuff and help you to get on the right track.' "

Siyan Sogunro was the president and chief executive of his own gasoline company for 12 years. But after his company folded in 2007 and a bitter divorce froze most of his assets, he found himself with no job and no idea how to start over. Monday he made his weekly visit to LIFT. His volunteer, Wender, has helped him create a resume, post it online, and rehearse for an upcoming interview.

"She's not working like a student. She's working like a recruiter," said Sogunro, who has been coming in since June. "I hope I can get a job soon and send her a card."

It's a learning experience for all, Romalis said, especially the student volunteers who come face to face with the realities of poverty in Philadelphia everyday.

"They're all coming from their university bubbles but here they get to see first hand what poverty really looks like," he said. "So when they graduate they're part of the antipoverty movement. They're part of the solution."