What Valeo Vocation does

Valeo Vocation is a Tacoma, Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise founded in 2018 by Sherri Jensen and Greg Walker. The organization operates as a staffing agency that places individuals experiencing homelessness into industrial, construction, custodial, and nonprofit-sector jobs while providing wrap-around case management, peer support, and housing services. Its core product is the Transitional Employment Pathways (TEP) program, a three-phase model progressing participants from subsidized HIRE Crew work through a 12-week paid Custodial Training Program into full-time employer placement. Adjacent programs include BFET (Basic Food Employment and Training in partnership with Washington State DSHS), Journey2Jobs, MATCH, CTP, PTP, and Pre-Trial Pathways.

The organization derives earned revenue primarily through staffing services, charging employers a standard 50% markup on hourly wages (with discounted rates for teams hiring 5+ participants and no fees after 160 hours), supplemented by Building Services/Janitorial contracts and partnership-driven referral channels. The social enterprise model self-sustains roughly 80% of operating costs from these earned revenue streams, reducing reliance on traditional grants and donations. On the housing side, Valeo operates Calyx Communities, a workforce attainable housing initiative featuring tiny homes and couple residences that anchor employment retention.

Valeo serves two primary customer sets: (1) businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies (including Milgard Windows and Doors, Trident Seafoods, Roberson Building Co., ServiceMaster, the City of Tacoma, and Tacoma Rescue Mission) needing reliable labor in a tight market, and (2) individuals experiencing homelessness in Pierce and Thurston Counties seeking employment, case management, and pathways to permanent housing. As of 2025, the organization reports reaching 908 neighbors across both counties, with historical wage disbursements approaching $700,000 and total invoiced volume of $768,506.

Name

Valeo Vocation

Legal name

Valeo Vocation

Website

https://valeovocation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Valeo Vocation is a Tacoma-based nonprofit social enterprise staffing agency that places individuals experiencing homelessness in industrial, construction, and custodial jobs across Pierce and Thurston Counties while providing case management, training, and workforce housing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Social Enterprise Staffing

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (561330)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

Keywords

• Social enterprise staffing
• Workforce development services
• Transitional employment programs
• Custodial training services
• Homeless services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Staffing Services Revenue: Valeo charges businesses a markup on worker wages. Standard 50% markup on most hourly rates with discounted options for teams hiring 5+ participants. No fees after 160 hours of work.
2. Social Enterprise Model Funding: The social enterprise model sustainably provides 80% of gross revenue needed to operate, reducing reliance on traditional nonprofit funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Valeo Vocation is a Tacoma-based nonprofit social enterprise that places trained and peer-supported workers with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in industrial/construction, custodial, and non-profit support roles, charging a 50% markup on hourly wages and handling HR and payroll for employers. It wraps each placement with case management, supportive housing, and a 12-week paid Custodial Training Program, and complements commercial janitorial services (Building Services) with workforce-attainable housing under its Calyx Communities brand.

Product overview

Valeo Vocation is a social enterprise organization operating as a unified platform combining employment services, housing support, and case management. The core offering centers on TEP (Transitional Employment Pathways), a 3-phase program featuring HIRE Crew and the Custodial Training Program, alongside BFET, Journey2Jobs, Pre-Trial Pathways, MATCH, CTP, and PTP programs. The organization also operates Calyx Community Workforce Attainable Housing for shelter residents and Building Services for commercial cleaning. Staffing services connect trained participants with employers in industrial, nonprofit, and custodial sectors. The model funds 80% of operations through revenue generated by staffing and building services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Calyx Communities: Workforce attainable housing program providing residences for working individuals and couples, including Calyx Community @ Plum (tiny homes), Calyx Couple's Community @ Altheimer, and Calyx Couple's Community @ MLK.
• HIRE Crew
• TEP (Transitional Employment Pathways)
• Custodial Training Program

Products and services

• Social Enterprise Staffing Services Places trained, peer-supported workers with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Industrial/Construction, Non-Profit, and Custodial fields; Valeo handles HR, payroll, and invoicing at a standard 50% markup on hourly wages with discounted tiers for teams hiring 5+ participants and no fees after 160 hours of work.
• Building Services / Janitorial Cleaning Commercial cleaning and exterior services for businesses and facilities including interior glass cleaning, carpet care, hard-surface floor care, restroom sanitation, high/low dusting, and exterior services such as landscaping, litter abatement, and graffiti removal; first cleaning is free.
• HIRE Crew Low-barrier employment access point providing no-cost day-labor-style services to local businesses while offering meaningful paid work for participants experiencing homelessness; serves as the on-ramp to Valeo's transitional employment pathway.
• Custodial Training Program 12-week paid internship combining in-classroom and on-the-job training in commercial and residential cleaning skills; graduates are placed into full-time employment with regional employers or into Valeo's Building Services operation.
• TEP (Transitional Employment Pathways) Three-phase workforce reintegration program combining subsidized wages and skill development through HIRE Crew (Phase 1), Skill Development/Custodial Training Program (Phase 2), and Full-time Employment placement (Phase 3).
• BFET (Basic Food & Employment Training) Partnership program with the Washington State Department of Human Services providing employment barrier reduction, vocational training, financial counseling, and mentorship to participants receiving state food-assistance benefits.
• Calyx Community Workforce Attainable Housing Workforce attainable housing program featuring tiny homes and couple residences (Calyx Community @ Plum, Calyx Couple's Community @ Altheimer, Calyx Couple's Community @ MLK) supporting working individuals experiencing homelessness and stabilizing them in employment.
• Journey2Jobs Workforce development program helping participants build job-readiness skills and transition into competitive, sustained employment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 908 neighbors found dignity, steady paychecks, and community support in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Workforce CentralcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 February 2022Partnership with Workforce Central for recruiting staff to staff positions at The Market (formerly Bonney Lake Food Bank). Workforce Central handles recruiting while Valeo provides the workforce.
• Tacoma Rescue MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shelter partner where Valeo operates programs including the New Life Program and shelters. Valeo staff work at the mission and participants transition through their programs.
• Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for warming center operations at Lighthouse Activity Center. Valeo operates the shelter while working with LIHI as the temporary warming center operator.
• Department of Human Services (Washington State)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through BFET (Basic Food Employment and Training) program that connects participants receiving state benefits to community resources and training.
• Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier RegionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnership where Goodwill refers clients to Valeo for employment services. Quote from Kelly Blucher praising the partnership.
• Coordinated CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner managing Washington's Medicaid insurance program. Worked with CEO Sherri Jensen to deliver Trauma-Informed Care training series.
• YMCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to open and staff a Community Shower program for people experiencing homelessness.
• National Alliance to End HomelessnessminorOthersNational organization whose estimates and data inform Valeo's understanding of the homelessness crisis they address.
• Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End HomelessnessminorOthersLocal coalition whose Point-In-Time Count data guides Valeo's understanding of community needs and homeless population statistics.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Abode Services: Bay Area nonprofit combining permanent supportive housing with workforce development for people experiencing homelessness — directly comparable integrated housing-plus-employment model with similar participant population.
• The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate paid transitional employment, job-readiness training, and career development to people recently released from incarceration — directly comparable workforce-staffing-plus-support model, though more focused on the reentry population.
• Downtown Streets Team: California-based nonprofit employing teams of volunteers experiencing homelessness to clean public spaces and beautify neighborhoods — directly comparable work-crew social enterprise model with employer-style contracts for cleanup services.
• Chrysalis: Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides transitional employment, job training, and support services to people experiencing homelessness and other barriers to employment — directly comparable social-enterprise staffing model serving a similar population, with earned revenue from employer customers.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit providing housing, employment, and education services to homeless and at-risk youth — comparable wraparound model targeting a subset of the same population (homelessness) with similar workforce and case-management components.
• Breaking Ground: New York-based nonprofit operating both supportive housing and employment programs for individuals experiencing homelessness, including transitional work crews and staffing services — comparable integrated housing-plus-employment social enterprise model.

Regional players

• Workforce Central: Washington-state workforce development partner that channels recruits into Valeo placements — comparable workforce-development mission in the same Pacific Northwest region, with overlapping employer relationships and participant pools.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit that runs workforce development, staffing, and janitorial/building services programs, including Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region (a Valeo partner). Much larger and broader in scope, but overlapping mission, staffing model, and employer customers.
• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Regional social services nonprofit offering housing, employment, and case-management services including staffing-like programs — comparable mission and overlapping services in the Pacific Northwest, though much broader in scope.

Others

• Workforce Software (Avionté): Staffing-industry software provider whose portal Valeo uses for employee/employer operations — adjacent enabling technology rather than a competitor, but representative of the broader staffing-tech ecosystem Valeo operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/reel/1129679935128577
• Xx.com/valeovocation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Valeo Vocation