Standing in front of a roomful of formerly homeless people looking to join the workforce, Shedrica Wilcher pounded her fist into her hand.

''Doesn't matter where you've been, it's all about where you're going to go,'' she told the group gathered at the Greater Bethel AME Church last week. ``Even if you start from the bottom scrubbing floors. You have to start somewhere.'

She is a graduate of the Hospitality Institute, a nonprofit founded last year by the owner of a local hotel to help people who would otherwise have trouble getting hired find jobs in the industry.

About 200 people have completed the program, which includes customer-service training, job interview tips and a $100 voucher to buy work-appropriate outfits at Chapter 2, an Overtown store that sells donated clothing.

Miami commissioners, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, recently voted to grant the Hospitality Institute $550,000 to continue its work for another year.

In Wilcher's case, she went from working at a movie theater to working as a mini-bar attendant at the Doubletree Grand -- where she says she has more of a chance of moving up.

Veronica Gunnels had harder obstacles to overcome.

Over the years, she struggled with divorce, bipolar disorder, eviction and incarceration -- eventually ending up at the Homeless Assistance Center at 1550 N. Miami Ave., where she heard about the institute.

Now she is submitting job applications and résumés in hopes of finding an entry-level sales job.

''I also applied for a night auditor position, balancing the books at the end of every day,'' said Gunnels, who once worked as an accounting clerk. ``Now comes the follow-up and the thank-you notes, so they remember me.''

The institute is actually a team of hotels that have pledged to give men and women -- many of whom were once homeless -- a fair shot, including the Doubletree and the Hilton Bentley in Miami Beach.

Groups like Camillus House, Lotus House and Carrfour Supportive Housing funnel clients to the program.

This year, Miami Dade College will take over managing the institute.

''This program opens the doors to the business community for them,'' said Julie Grimes, the Doubletree Grand's owner and one of the initiative's founders.

Robert Lacle, who manages the Doubletree, said the program helps the hotel find qualified employees.

''We were looking overseas to fill our positions, and many hotels still do,'' he said. ``Now we'd rather give the opportunity to local people first.''

The hospitality industry is an ideal field for would-be employees looking to get ahead, Grimes said.

''If you have the commitment and the right attitude, you can move up,'' she said. ``Most general managers started as bellboys.''

Maria James, case manager at Lotus House, a women's shelter, said she gets satisfaction from helping the program's women polish their job-seeking skills.

''Then they come in all confident and prepared, looking and feeling good,'' James said. ``It's wonderful to see how they're willing to grow.''

At the institute's job fair last week at Greater Bethel AME, Chausmae Smith beamed when a potential employer took notice.

''We'd like you to interview at the corporate office,'' said Jorge Pascual, a hiring supervisor for the Continental Group. ``Is Hollywood too far for you?''

Smith has no car, but she didn't hesitate.

''I can take the bus; I can get a ride,'' she told Pascual. ``If that's what it takes, I'll be there.''

For more information on the Hospitality Institute, call Robert Lacle, general manager of the Doubletree Grand, at 305-523-3302 or e-mail Robert.Lacle@hilton.com.

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