Goodwill’s mission services help people achieve independence.

Served through our programs

Mission Services

Founded in 1895, Goodwill’s mission is to help individuals with barriers to self-sufficiency to achieve independence and dignity through work – not charity, but a chance. Goodwill serves thousands of people every year with job training and career services and expects the number to increase in the months and years ahead. The high unemployment associated with the current economic downturn is disproportionately affecting the communities Goodwill serves.

For low-income individuals with barriers to employment, Goodwill’s workforce development programs offer help entering the workplace rapidly as well as case management and individualized support. For individuals with developmental disabilities, programs offer longer-term support to find and keep jobs. For unemployed or underemployed individuals, MassHire Boston Career Center, the one-stop career center Goodwill operates, is the source for job search and training resources and connections to employers. Additionally, adults with disabilities participate in day programs. The organization operates social enterprises in retail, computer recycling, and housekeeping that provide on-the-job training and work opportunities for trainees.

Goodwill’s mission services focus on helping people secure employment, which is critical for economic self-sufficiency and mobility. Program participants are typically individuals with significant barriers including developmental and physical disabilities, reliance on government benefits, histories of domestic violence and incarceration, limited English, and more. Almost all participants are very low income and the majority are from communities of color. Goodwill offers programs at its Roxbury headquarters and at job training centers in Salem and Springfield.