Employment: Job Attainment/Creation

Learning Institute for Empowerment, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA (Allegheny)

Type of Agency/Organization Coordinating/Operating the Program:
Community-Based 501(c)3

Funding Sources:
DPW, Career Links, Private Foundation and Corporations

Clientele/Population Served:
Educationally , Economically, and Socially disadvantaged Low-Moderate income individuals; TANF clients; Dislocated Workers; Adjudicated Youth; Ex Offenders; and In/out School Youth

Mission/Goal of the Program:
To provide disadvantaged Individuals ages 17 and over with demand skills Occupational Training, with the proper attitude and tips on employer expectations as well as Placement, Retention and Support Services that will lead to higher self-sufficiency and long term retention in the worforce.

Programs/Services Offered:
(1)Banking Fundamentals, an Employer specific training software which helps to develop keyboarding, memory and recognition skills of trainees preparing for entry level positions within the financial service industry. (2)ICDL training and Certification(Computer Literacy Certification)that allows trainees to document their acquired knowledge and skills through a series of performance-based test. (3)COMPUTER REPAIR/A+ Certification, is an industry-wide vendor neutral program that provides technical skills needed to effectively service and suppoirt PCs. Successful completion of the A+ Certification test permits technician to work in computer fields.(4) Job Retention, Advancement and Rapid Re-Employment Program is a service program that include job coaching, Case Management, Conflict Resolution, Family Support, Life Skills, General Education Training and other transition-to-work support.(5) JOB READINESS CERTIFICATION is a credential that demonstrate the program participants's ability to learn and do a job., participants will be able to use this certification to get the job they want and know what basic

Results and/or Performance Measures:
Upon completion of the Certification training program, and the passing of the examinations, participant will be able to demonstrate to employers the following most sought-after work skills: Computer Skills, General Business Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, Customer Service, Business, Math, and Writing, and Work Maturity and Job Skills.

For more information:
Learning Institute For Empowerment Inc.
Call Toll Free # 1-877-235-9449
Ask for Dr. Wilma Carter
Helping People Help Themselves

HIRED: Helping Individuals Retain Employment Daily
Columbus, Ohio (Franklin)

Type of Agency/Organization Coordinating/Operating the Program:
Faith-based, nonprofit community organization

Funding Sources:
Government contracts and awards, foundations, private donations

Clientele/Population Served:
central city

Mission/Goal of the Program:
For the past 5-years, TEACH has engaged in an unfunded research project to determine model programming for women and men on the journey of self- sufficiency. The result of our study is HIRED, Helping Individuals Retain Employment Daily. HIRED uses a goal-oriented intervention strategy that links soft-skills and life management training with job readiness, placement and retention services, supported by intense personal mentoring aimed at assisting clients in obtaining and maintaining employment. Program participants enroll in classes with a training curriculum that combines a vocational focus: job search skills, employability action plans, job placement assistance, job retention services; with an educational focus: GED and computer classes; with a personal focus: visioning field trips to new homes, new car dealers, colleges, travel agencies, etc., and incentives (including cash) for achievements such as obtaining employment, a driver’s license or attending parenting classes. Participants are encouraged to move their lives forward as a group. Our self-help strategy uses peer-to-peer support to increase the number of participants who successfully become employed, educated and on the journey of emotional and economic self-sufficiency. In addition we offer intense mentoring by a seasoned and tenured staff, expert in providing the support our service population needs to transcend their barriers; our guidance and counseling services ensure participants are linked with appropriate resources that also serve to remove or resolve barriers to employment and help clients change their lifestyles for the better.

Programs/Services Offered:
TEACH was created over 7 years ago in response to the needs of a central city neighborhood where the majority of the residents receive cash assistance. We coined the phrase “different to serve” to describe the women and men who came to our Center seeking services as they struggled with the changes brought on by welfare reform. Our service population are people who have very diverse sets of barriers that affect their ability to move successfully from welfare to work, such as learning disabilities, mental health issues, addictions, domestic violence, and adults over age 25 without a work history and limited education, in addition to people who lack the confidence to work. Using a 90-day curriculum, we will serve 30 new participants each session; a total of 120 women and men, on-site at the Mt. Vernon Opportunity Center, where TEACH has fostered a long and effective collaboration with the Director and staff. We have worked very closely for 5 years with the same geographic and demographic population and for the last two years a FCDJFS caseworker has served our clients on-site at TEACH. The TEACH Method is to provide holistic training and services to our clients supported by mentorship, a unique and effective component of our programming and the cornerstone of HIRED. Surveys, client intake packages, status reports, research studies to document best practice models, quality assurance (file audits) and contract compliance monitoring will serve to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and performance.

Results and/or Performance Measures:
The Enrichment Association of Community Healing (TEACH) is a faith-based, non-profit organization that serves as a neighborhood resource for individuals on the journey to economic and emotional self-sufficiency. Through education and employment assistance, mentoring support and partnerships, we build relationships that break down the barriers that rob people of successful lives. Our innovative, grassroots approach is a model for communities across the country as we lead individuals and families from darkness to light. Those who can, do. Those who can do more, TEACH. Since 1995 TEACH has successfully worked with a minority population, which comprises mostly African American women, men and children (an increasing number of Latino and East African individuals.) Our programming is so successful that in 1997 we received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Service; in 1998 we received the Charity Five Award for Excellence in Public Service; in 1999, then-governor George W. Bush visited TEACH as a faith-based program model during his campaign for President; in 2000 TEACH was a scheduled stop on the White House Community Empowerment Conference Tour; and in 2001 we became an AmeriCorps program site, for which we received an award for Outstanding Community Service. In 7 years, we have assisted over 2500 mostly African American women and men in obtaining and maintaining employment through our Row Teams HIRED (Residents Off Welfare -- Teaching, Educating, Achieving, Motivating, Success and Helping Individuals Retain Employment Daily) programs. In 2 years, we have assisted over 450 non-custodial parents (80% African American) reconnect with their children financially and emotionally through our PACT (Parents and Children Together) program. In 5 years, we have impacted the lives of hundreds of African American youth by providing summer employment for honor roll students from low-income homes, who staff an exciting recreational/educational summer program for central city children through our STAR (Students Taking Academic Responsibility) program. Recently we earned grant awards to provide two new resources to the community: The NET (Neighborhoods Empowered through Technology), is a state of the art, neighborhood-based computer lab, which provides educational, employment and civic resources using technology. The HEALTH (Heal The Hood) program is a health education and literacy program funded by the Columbus Medical Association Foundation, which provides health information and guidance on the leading disease-related causes of death for minorities, as well as an African Dance fitness program. TEACH has a current tenured staff of 20 employees, with a yearly budget exceeding 1 million dollars. Ruell Barksdale chairs our Board of Directors and John Henry Gregory is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of TEACH. The Central Office executive staff has over 75 years of combined professional management experience. TIMELINE MAJOR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES DATES STAFF RESPONSIBLE * Program starts, all staff begin orientation and staff training 10/1/02 TEACH Exec. Staff * Classes begin; participants begin enrollment and intake process 10//02 HIRED Staff * Training participants identified and employability assessments given; mentors assigned to clients; barriers identified and individual employability plan created. 11//02 HIRED staff * First Class – 90-day curriculum for employability training begins; mentors support clients in removing and addressing barriers; clients become employed and the remainder continue the classes with mentoring 11/02 HIRED Staff * Second Class - 90-day curriculum for employability training begins; 02/03 HIRED Staff * Third Class - 90-day curriculum for employability training begins; 04/03 HIRED Staff * Fourth Class - 90-day curriculum for employability training begins; 06/03 HIRED Staff *File review and audit 12/01/02– 08/01/03 TEACH Exec. Staff * Program evaluation and reporting 06/03 – 08/03 TEACH Exec. Staff * Supportive Services employability mentoring begins for those who require further training, including on the job training. 02/03– 08/03 HIRED Mentors

TEACH has a proven track record of serving as a leading community and faith-based minority organization. As a community resource, TEACH is an incubator for other faith-based non-profit organizations, developing and training agencies including a faith-based training program for substance abusers; a ministerial discussion group and resource for victims of domestic violence; a motivational speaking firm geared toward youth and church groups; and a grassroots think tank and consulting group for community organizations specializing in strategic planning, operations, marketing, research, development, community organizing and technical assistance. Additionally, TEACH provides direct services programs that are innovative and developed from community input. Our programs are celebrated for their success with personalized outreach and recruitment, resulting in high participation rates; our holistic, one-stop-shop services also include a youth reading program; an on-site food pantry; WIC and immunizations; child car safety restraint training and STD testing. TEACH enjoys the support of well-established community agencies such as The United Way, The Neighborhood House, The Godman Guild, and Columbus State Community College. HIRED is the result of our 5-year effort to determine what works and what does not work in assisting individuals making the transition from public assistance to a lifetime of work. We know that individuals on the journey of self-sufficiency respond positively when encouraged to take responsibility for the direction of their lives and are accountable for their successes and reactions to challenges. Since 1998, TEACH has successfully earned paid-for-performance contracts with FCDJFS (following a praised results-driven collaboration with the State Department of Human Services) to provide job readiness, training, placement and retention services. During the contract we will continue our research studies to document what happens to the “different to serve” women in the HIRED program.

For more information:
The Enrichment Association of Community Healing
374 Viginialee Road West
Columbus, Ohio 43209
614-239-7788 (tele) 338-3513 (fax)
John Henry Gregory, Founder, President % CEO
Azuka I. MuMin, Executive Vice-President
Jwahir MuMIn, Vice-President of Creative Resources

Philadelphia@Work, Family Works
Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia)

Type of Agency/Organization Coordinating/Operating the Program:
non-profit

Clientele/Population Served:
TANF

Mission/Goal of the Program:
Mission: To serve people seeking work by providing them with the opportunities and support that lead to self-sufficiency. TWC will build mutually beneficial partnerships with employers to create a high quality work force.

Programs/Services Offered:
transitional jobs, career advancement, GED preparation, Microsoft Certification training, EITC Outreach, VITA, technical assistance.

For more information:
Transitional Work Corporation
Land Title Building
100 South Broad Street, 7th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19110
(215) 965-3000

Connectinc.
Rocky Mount, NC (Edgecombe)

Type of Agency/Organization Coordinating/Operating the Program:
Job Retention and Career Advancement Center

Funding Sources:
TANF funds

Clientele/Population Served:
Former TANF Recipants

Mission/Goal of the Program:
Specific objectives of Connect Inc. are: (1) Finding employment opportunities for customers (2) Facilitating useful and relevant training and education (3) Linking employment candidates with prospective employers, (4) Reducing obstacles to employment and job retention, (5) Promoting career advancement and asset accumulation. CONNECTINC. WORK CENTRAL CAREER ADVANCEMENT CENTER Goals: 1. Re-Employment: We create job search plans, develop job readiness strategies, and emphasize family maintenance. This goal recognizes a noticeable number of first jobs do not last; therefore, Work Central prevents the re-spending of taxpayer dollars already spent once 2. Job Retention: We review support systems, promote problem solving, and support longevity on the job. We measure this goal in 6- and 12-month benchmarks. 3. Career Advancement: We introduce customers to career paths, explore training opportunities, and pursue educational plans. 4. Asset Accumulation: We connect customers to checking and savings account resources, inform customers about financial counseling, and educate customers about home ownership opportunities. Work Central replaces homeless with hope so people will believe that tomorrow will be better then their today. Goal attainment is supported and monitored by means of follow-up phone calls to and from customers and support services. The Employment Security Commission, a partner in this endeavor, assists clients who are in the re-employment phase of our services, and promote and network with employers in the eight-county service area.

Programs/Services Offered:
Work Central offers technology-supported case management and resource information that is provided by two software packages to assist former welfare clients as they find, keep, and move up in employment. At the core of this service is a highly technological communication system headquartered in Rocky Mount and serving Scotland, Wayne, Wilson, Pitt, Martin, Halifax, Nash, and Edgecombe Counties. Software: GET (Geographic Employment Tool), supported by Geographic Technologies Group (GTG), is a GIS-based computer program that gives service representatives, with a single mouse-click, up-to-date information about employers, job opportunities, child care providers, transportation resources, education and training opportunities, and financial services. It also permits instant connection to employment-related websites. Through contracts with various sources, GET obtains databases that form the core of the system and are updated annually by them. The user can enter additional information, increasing the flexibility and power of this tool. Under contract with GTG, INFO-USA supplies data about every employer in the defined geographic area, including location and contact information. For employers in the database, users can add data pertinent to their needs, creating individualized databases. Thus, since employers in the database include financial institutions and public housing managers, GET can cross-reference by location the financial services and housing resources customers may need, including special offers to support home ownership, cost of establishing and maintaining accounts, and available discounts. Community colleges, universities, and private learning centers, also being employers, already are in the database, and users can add information about their education and training. From the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), GET obtains extensive information about childcare arrangements, and this too becomes part of the core data system cross-referenced geographically: contact information, type of arrangement, shifts offered, age range of children served, special needs addressed, and transportation support. Additional data, like fees and whether vouchers are accepted, can be added by the user. For bus services, GTG supplements the usual employer information with detailed route maps supplied by municipalities and county governments. Goldmine, supported by Relevant Automation, is linked to the phone system. This program efficiently records all transactions and permits efficient access to transaction histories both by case and by type of activity. It also automatically programs follow-up calls and prompts staff to make them. By automatically creating a continuously documented history of activities entered by the representative for each candidate, it guarantees that no candidate gets lost. This enables Work Central representatives while communicating with customers to access on-line information about both the customers and the resources available to support them. Communications consist mainly of outgoing phone calls, but also include mail service for clients without phones, for following up failed attempts by phone, and for punctuating the customer’s engagement in the employment process. There also are significant numbers of incoming calls initiated by clients seeking support, referral, and coaching to help manage problems related to family and employment issues. We provide an innovative service, devoted to helping the working poor move out of poverty. Through telephone counseling and referral, we support job retention among former Work First families, focusing on career development and advancement, financial planning and asset accumulation, and personal and family needs that may impair the wage earner’s ability to attend and perform work.

Results and/or Performance Measures:
For most of the year we focused our evaluation on measuring outputs and customer satisfaction. Within the last six months, however, we have started to measure job retention, convert customers’ hourly wages into annualized figures, and otherwise assess the economic contribution of Work Central. Economic Contribution: The economic contribution of Work Central is elusive to measure, but several of the kinds of data we can obtain from our database system, Goldmine, do allow estimates of the value not only to individual customers but to their communities. Annualized wages for employees and goal attainment for participants both indicate what kind of bang is produced for the Work Central buck. During the year just ending 1,466 customers have contributed more than $21.36 million to the economic development of the six participating counties. Other data show, furthermore, that the contribution is likely to grow larger with each passing year, as more customers are re-employed. Since June of 2000, 1,329 customers have entered employment. As more employees keep their jobs longer, actual earnings more nearly approach annualized figures. In addition, job retention contributes to career advancement, including higher earnings and enabling asset accumulation, both of which contribute to the local economy. The earliest date for which measurement of such details became possible. Wage increases ranged from $0.75 per hour to $7.35 per hour. Continuing education programs completed were in the areas of health care, data entry, and business administration. Car purchases continue to lead the completed asset accumulation goal, but several home ownerships have been accomplished with the patience to work on this goal for 6 to 10 months and the aid of Community Development Corporations. The financial management activities are laying the foundation for financial independence, another economic asset for the community. Work Central has put 21% of unemployed customers (722/3410) to work and immediately established their six- and twelve-month job retention goals. Sixty per cent (2049/3410) of participants assessed (as of June 1, 2001) were employed. Of those, 68% (1388/2049) had remained with the same employer for 6 months or longer. These are encouraging figures and can be expected to improve with experience in program operation.

For more information:
Jackie Savage
President
Connectinc.
1621 Eastern Avenue
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27801
Phone: 252-442-3467

America/Works
Many

Type of Agency/Organization Coordinating/Operating the Program:
Employer + local partners in govt. and nonprofit community

Clientele/Population Served:
W2W, low-income seniors, youth-at-risk, people with disabilities

Mission/Goal of the Program:
Foster workforce development solutions in communities throught the bank's franchise to help people move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Programs/Services Offered:
Customized training programs to prepare indviduals for career-path jobs at Bank of America.

Results and/or Performance Measures:
Average retention rate of 81%

The Telephone Call Center, Department of Employment Security
Olympia, Washington

Job matching activities are designed to access higher paying jobs for former TANF participants. The call center staff act as job search advocates by contacting employers, providing job referrals, giving job leads and otherwise making better jobs more accessible to working former TANF participants. The program was recognized as one of the most creative and successful job enhancement projects nationally.

Strive Chicago Employment Service, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

The Strive Chicago Employment Service has several programs that help participants obtain and maintain jobs. There were 365 placements made in 1997. At that time, the program had a total budget of $800,000 -- 70% from private foundations, corporations and individuals and 30% from public funds. The average cost per placement was $2,000 per participant.

This program is located in two parts of Chicago -- South Side (Grand Boulevard) and West Side (West Humboldt Park). There are several special projects, including:

• Career Path Projects: The goal of the Career Path Project is to develop specific three-to-five year paths of employment, education and training that allows STRIVE graduates to advance steadily to permanent, full-time employment that pays a living wage, and provides benefits and the opportunity for advancement.



• Grand Boulevard Job Initiative: A collaboration in the city's second poorest community to provide integrated social services, parenting classes, literacy instruction, skill training, paid internships and job placement.



• West Humboldt Park Job Bank: In collaboration with the Development Council, linking community residents involved with block clubs, community policing, and neighborhood improvement projects to employment services.



• Metro Community Correctional Center: Employment services for first-time young adult offenders who have completed "boot camp" programs.



• Cineplex Odeon Youth Training: Preparation of 100 youth and young adults for employment at new theater complex on Chicago's west side, in partnership with the City of Chicago and Cineplex Odeon.

Preparatory Employment Program
Seattle, Washington

In Seattle, the Preparatory Employment Program places hard to employ welfare recipients in closely supervised jobs paying $8 per hour. The program combines on the job and classroom training. Worksite supervisors receive training and ongoing support to help them set clear goals for participants, including expected time frames for developing specific employment competencies. Wages are funded with a combination of TANF funds, employer contributions, and funds from the Seattle Jobs Initiative.

Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) Project
Lincoln, Nebraska

The Lincoln Action Program (LAP) has designed the Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) Project to address the dual needs for employment and child care among welfare recipients and other low-income people. The program's goal is to create 125 new child care or other micro-enterprise businesses during the program's operational phase October 1, 1995 to September 30, 1998.

In addition to providing case management, JOLI offers welfare recipients training and support in establishing an in-home child care business. The program provides, at no cost to the participant, more than 50 hours of training in child care-related skill development as well as business management. Financial assistance with business start-up expenses is available to all participants who complete the training series. Additional support and networking opportunities are also provided through monthly support group and business group meetings, as well as a mentoring component that matches successful JOLI child care providers with participants entering the program.

The case management services are provided to reduce any existing barriers to self-sufficiency and successful business operation. Family strengths and barriers are identified through a comprehensive assessment.

Funding:

The JOLI Project is funded through the Office of Community Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). For a three-year period, JOLI was funded at $500,000.

Evaluation:

The Center on Children, Families, and the Law, at the University of Nebraska, is currently evaluating this program. The evaluation is designed to measure the program's impact on participant's self-sufficiency through employment or general non-reliance on public assistance, to assess how adequately project activities are implemented (through a process analysis), and to compare the characteristics of people in the JOLI program with people living in the target communities. JOLI staff members will do the actual data collection through interviews and case record review, and the Center will analyze the data.

Contact:

Sue Hinrichs, Project Director, at 402-471-4515

International Black Student Alliance, Inc., Voice Mail Network
Topeka, Kansas and Missouri

According to the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) study, Characteristics of Kansas Welfare Recipients by Length of Time on Assistance, 32% of long-term welfare recipients did not have telephone service in their homes compared with only 4.4% of all households in Kansas. Without some way for the potential employer to get in touch with the job applicant, it is extremely difficult for welfare recipients to search for and obtain a job.

To assist recipients in gaining employment, the International Black Student Alliance, Inc (IBSA) developed a voice mail telecommunication service for phone-less welfare recipients who are mandated to participate in a work activity. The main goal of the voice mail network service is to provide a viable means of communication for welfare and low-income job seekers so that they can be better equipped to successfully gain employment.

In conjunction with transportation and childcare assistance, the ability to provide a phone number on applications, resumes and other employment related documents provides the job seeker with a valuable tool that fulfills his/her need to receive follow-up information. The voice mail telecommunication service developed by International Black Student Alliance provides the following services:

• Sets up a reliable phone number for recipients to use on job applications and resumes.
• Creates an opportunity for employers and recipients to keep in touch in case additional information is needed or interviews need to be rescheduled.
• Provides a means of communication between case managers and participants.
• Provides toll-free access for checking messages from any touch-tone phone.

As of December 17, 1999, the IBSA’s Voice Mail Network of companies was the voice mail network aimed at increasing the availability of employment-based messaging service to those considered hardest-to-serve and phone-less in the rural and urban core of America. Current activities include coordinating services with One-Stop Centers and expanding messaging options to include voice to e-mail capacity.

Evidence of Program Effects:

In fiscal year 1998-1999, nearly 350 job-seeking welfare recipients in Kansas used the voice mail network support service. Findings show that participants involved in active job search components who utilized the voice mail service gained employment in approximately 59 days compared to the three to six months it took for those without phone access or communication services. Furthermore, welfare agencies using voice mail services liberally found an increase in the number of participants receiving jobs as compared to before such services were available.

Replication Activities to Date:

Presently, 7 of the existing 11 area state offices of SRS provide voice mail support service to their job-seeking recipients. The total combined area of statewide coverage includes 69 counties -- both rural and urban. In 1999, IBSA was awarded a Welfare-to-Work (WtW) competitive grant by the Kansas Department of Human Resources to upgrade their existing voice mail network to the highest state-of-the-art platform. As increasing numbers of current and former welfare recipients and non-custodial parents are referred to WtW programs, they too will need communications support service to move to self-sufficiency.

While the service initially identified and targeted welfare recipients in Kansas, IBSA noted the need to expand these services to low-income participants located across the country. According to a U.S. Department of Commerce study, there are approximately 16.4 million low income homes without phone service in the United States. In January 1999, IBSA launched a comprehensive research analysis covering 15 State Welfare agencies located in major metropolitan areas regarding the need for a communication service for current phone-less job seekers, whom will lose their cash assistance under welfare reform. Of those welfare agencies responding, 93% had no optional support service available. Similarly, 98% of State WtW grantees had no such service available.

By mid 1999, voice mail support service was expanded to include WtW participants within the Joplin, MO Private Industry Council - SDA 7 and the New Dimensions of North Carolina (a WtW service provider located in Aulander, North Carolina) program. At these two sites, 71.4% of those referred and utilizing the voice mail service were employed and 24% of all activity was conducted via pay phones. In October 1999, the voice mail support service received recognition as one of the most innovative WtW projects in the State of Missouri at the 1999 Governors Conference on Workforce Development.

Cost Implications:

Service revenue in fiscal year 1997-98 for voice mail network service totaled just over $24,000. Individual service accounts were paid through agency support service funds at a rate of $10.00/ person/month for Kansas recipients and $15.00 per person/month in other States. This rate is a flat fee, and includes unlimited toll-free access for participants. Since January 1999, 97 participants (out of the 175 enrolled) became employed using voice mail support service, therefore saving State agencies approximately $67,000 or $804,000 over a twelve-month period. Also, employed individuals pay into the State tax system. Over $3.5 million of taxable income has been generated by welfare recipients obtaining employment by means of communicating with potential employers, case workers and providers.

For More Information:

Lazone Grays, Systems Administrator
International Black Student Alliance, Inc.
Voice Mail Network of Companies
629 SE Quincy, Suite 102
Topeka, Kansas 66603
Phone: 785-232-4272
Fax: 785-232-5976
E-mail: ibsa@networksplus.net
Voice Message: 1-888-509-5444, Box 1101

Edwin W. Martin, Jr. Career and Employment Institute (CEI)
Albertson, New York

The Edwin W. Martin, Jr., Career and Employment Institute (CEI) at the National Center for Disability Services provides education, training, and supportive services for people with disabilities, with a focus on ethnic minorities who traditionally are underserved. The CEI is one of numerous programs offered through the National Center for Disability Services, a nonprofit organization that strives, through education, training, research, and leadership, to improve the self-sufficiency of people with disabilities and help them get and maintain jobs.

CEI, which is located in a suburban area of Long Island, New York, assists more than 1,000 people each year and is expanding its services to other parts of the United States. Based on a recent contract arrangement with the New York State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system and the New York City welfare system, CEI will nearly double the number of welfare clients it serves, to about 15% of its total caseload. Under this arrangement, New York City welfare agencies refer clients who have both dependent children and disabilities (including those related to mental health or physical disability) to the VR program, which in turn refers them to CEI for specialized welfare to work services.

Services include vocational evaluations, vocational training, remedial education (for instance, for improving math and reading skills and working toward a GED), job placement, job coaching, work experience, transitional employment services, coordinated academic programming and job search assistance for people with learning disabilities, and rehabilitation management services for injured workers. Clients typically receive services for a period of between six weeks to seven months. The estimated cost of the program per participant varies widely, ranging from a minimum of $3,000 to a maximum of $11,000.

CEI also operates a National Business and Disability Council. Through this council, CEI works with Fortune 500 corporations in interviewing, hiring, and accommodating people with disabilities. CEI also operates job placement programs in numerous cities, including Albertson, Albany, and Rochester, New York; San Antonio, Texas; Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; Birmingham, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Phoenix, Arizona.

For More Information:

National Center for Disability Services
516-465-1480

Community Service Program
Massachusetts

Nonexempt participants subject to the Work Program requirements who fail to obtain paid employment of at least 20 hours per week are mandated to participate in community services to make up the difference in hours not worked. If the recipient fails to participate in 20 hours of work and/or community service, the individual will be ineligible for cash assistance. Failure to work or participate in community service on more than one occasion, once mandated to do so, results in termination of assistance for the entire household.

Arkansas Department of Human Services - Division of County Operations
Little Rock, Arkansas

In September 1998, the Pulaski County DHS offices entered into on-the-job training (OJT) agreements with three Little Rock hotels to provide intensive training and job coaching services to Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) recipients who are referred to the project. (TEA is Arkansas’ TANF program.) Under the OJT agreements, the hotels contract with a training provider who works on an individualized basis with the recipient during the actual job training phase, and then also serves as a mentor or job coach for up to six months.

The purpose of the continued services after the initial job training is to help the employee resolve problems which may arise during the first months of employment such as breakdowns in child care, so that s/he will have better success at retaining the job. The OJT trainer and job coach provider is contracted by the hotel rather than the TANF and WtW agency. DHS, though, is requiring that these additional OJT services be provided by the hotel as part of the OJT agreements between DHS and the three hotels. It is hoped that by working directly with the hotels, the trainers should be able to provide more meaningful training, job coaching, and job retention services to the individual TEA recipient.

For More Information:

Arkansas Department of Human Services - Division of County Operations
P.O. Box 1437, Slot 1220
Little Rock, AR 72203

or, Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA)
Pulaski County OJT Pilot Project at 501-682-8251