Taipei City Government said Jan. 1 that a sheltered street of workshops for the mentally and physically challenged under the elevated Jianguo Expressway is taking shape with six establishments.
Local government is providing rent-free workshop and shop space under the highway to encourage the private sector and charities to employ the disadvantaged, and hopes the public can help out by buying their products.
The sheltered street runs north to south from Rongxing Park Swimming Pool on Minquan East Road down to Sunshine car salon and gas station on Heping East Road, stopping at the Sunshine Civil Boulevard gas station, OrganicYam’s Zhongxiao branch, Yu-Cheng car wash and Victory Petrol Station on the way.
According to the city’s Department of Labor, the ROC capital now has 41 sheltered workshops. This year a new bakery employing Down syndrome sufferers will open in Dalongtong District.
“Sheltered workshops focus on businesses requiring low capital investment and simple services,” Taipei City Foreign and Disabled Labor Office Director Chen Hui-chi said. “Their performance in recent years has been pretty good.”
Because charities lack experience in such aspects as business operations and marketing, the city government is taking care of most of the advertising and related services for the businesses.
“Taipei has an annual budget of NT$300 million (US$10 million) for sheltered workshop advertising,” Chen said. “Apart from a quarterly sales fair, the department organizes product competitions from time to time.”
OrganicYam’s food store and restaurant is funded by the Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation. The shop employs 18 mentally challenged people in baking, sales and service.
“Staff are assigned simple jobs such as wrapping goods, cleaning or cutting bread according to their mental and physical condition,” store manager Chen Yu-tian said.
According to Chen, the store gives the staff an hourly work subsidy of between NT$45 and NT$74, as well as providing education and training. The city government’s rent-free program is very helpful, Chen said. (SDH)
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