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2.5 Employment and Community Engagement Strategies for Homeless People with Disabilities (Coco)
The document discusses the mission of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness, highlighting the importance of employment for individuals with mental health issues. It outlines strategies and partnerships aimed at increasing employment opportunities for supportive housing residents, addressing myths about their employability, and documenting outcomes related to employment engagement. The project aims to enhance recovery through stable housing and meaningful work while emphasizing the need for collaboration between various stakeholders to improve employment systems.
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2.5 Employment and Community Engagement Strategies for Homeless People with Disabilities (Coco)
- 1. Employment and CommunityEngagement Wendy M. Coco Senior Program Manager New England Program Corporation for Supportive Housing www.csh.org
- 2. Who is CSH- Our Mission CSH helps communities create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness. csh.org csh.org/ctsmalltowns csh.org/ctqa connect-ability.com
- 3. What is SupportiveHousing? Supportive Housing = Affordable Housing + Individualized Supports case management, peer support employment readiness & retention basic living skills social & family connections access to medical and mental health care
- 4. EMPLOYMENT AND COMMUNITYENGAGEMENT
- 5. Employment and CommunityEngagement If You Think Work is Bad for Someone With Mental Illness, Then What About Poverty, Unemployment, and Social Isolation? Marrone, J. & Golowka, E. (2000). If you think work is bad for people with mental illness, then try poverty, unemployment, and social isolation. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 23(2), 187–193.
- 6. Employment and CommunityEngagement THE MYTHS People with psychiatric/addiction disabilities are not “motivated” to work They need to be “clinically stable” before they can work; they will “decompensate”/ relapse because work is too “stressful” If they can’t “make it” in an apartment or a day program, they won’t “make it” at work
- 7. Employment and CommunityEngagement THE MYTHS People can only work at entry-level jobs; they are not capable of completing advanced training or education They need to be prepared and “ready” to go back to work... Non-skilled, entry level jobs and unpaid volunteer jobs are less stressful and preferable Employers will not hire people with psychiatric or addiction disorders
- 8. Employment and CommunityEngagement HomeWORK WHAT is HomeWORK?: The HomeWORK project is a unique approach to helping supportive housing tenants enter the workforce (or advance in their employment), improve their earnings, and/or strengthen their education and training.
- 9. Employment and CommunityEngagement HomeWORK WHO are the HomeWORK Partners?: HomeWORK is a joint undertaking between the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS). Funded through the CT Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG).
- 10. Employment and CommunityEngagement HomeWORK The STAFF HomeWORK staffing includes a Project Coordinator, a Benefits Coordinator and 2 Employment Facilitators They work directly with Housing Case Managers, Program Managers and Coordinators working in Supportive Housing.
- 11. Employment and CommunityEngagement HomeWORK WHO will HomeWORK Benefit?: This project serves DMHAS funded supportive housing agencies in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven. The HomeWORK Team will also offer employment resources to agencies serving supportive housing residents statewide, an Employment Info-line service.
- 12. Employment and CommunityEngagement WHAT WE BELIEVE Part of healing and recovery is the ability to participate as full citizens in the life of the community. (Walsh, 1996) Once a person has experienced recovery- the illness is no longer the primary focus of one’s life. The person moves onto other interests and activities. (Anthony, 1993) To connect is to find roles to play in the world. (Jacobson & Greenley, 2001)
- 13. Employment and CommunityEngagement Achieving and sustaining recovery from mental health and substance use disorders is greatly enhanced when the individual has safe, stable housing and is employed, or has some meaningful activity.
- 14. Employment and CommunityEngagement Statistics prove clearly that given the opportunity a majority of the tenants we work with in Supportive Housing have a desire to return to work or to further their education.
- 15. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR STRATEGIES Goal: Increase Resident Employment Numbers-Increase Resident Desire to Work Strategy 1 : Create indirect Job Development model across region engaging DHMAS, BRS, and Clubhouse job developers/employment specialists to produce an entry level employment job pool for supportive housing residents Strategy 2: Utilize existing Property Management and Career Path project to generate desk clerk, maintenance, and management assistance positions for the current graduates that have been included in HomeWORK outcomes.
- 16. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR STRATEGIES Goal: Increase Resident Employment Numbers-Increase Resident Desire to Work Strategy 3: implementation of Action Plans focusing on reaching projected measurable resident employment outcomes. SHP agency Action Plans have committed 60 residents for targeted employment during FY 2011. Strategy 4: Partnership with EPIC to increase resident motivation through peer supports focused on getting residents thinking about employment, motivate through Peer Support Training and Resident Survey, create Peer group that will champion the work for Year II.
- 17. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR STRATEGIES Goal: Increase Resident Employment Numbers-Increase Resident Desire to Work Strategy 5: Employment Case Conferencing specific to problem solving and brainstorming to get residents back to work. Strategy 6: Through partnership with Connect-ability increase marketing and education. Expanding to employers and non-traditional providers of services.
- 18. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR STRATEGIES Goal: Documenting Systems Change-Engaging Key Stakeholders Strategy 1: Compile documentation and reports for Year 1 in review HomeWORK Paper with the objective of framing expected and unexpected outcomes, defining real time, concrete interventions and philosophy shifts that lead to resident employment, and resident education attainment. Strategy 2: Develop Score Card that highlights successful outcomes, unexpected outcomes and the resolution of identified challenges.
- 19. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR STRATEGIES Goal: Documenting Systems Change-Engaging Key Stakeholders Strategy 3: Assist DMHAS in molding ask for employment data from supportive housing providers. Outline the importance and HomeWORK's recommendations for employment data including: employment retention rates, employment start and end dates, wage increases and decreases. Strategy 4: Communicate barriers persistently to positioned stakeholders that have the leverage to champion change in the BRS, DMHAS and Workforce Development System.
- 20. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR APPROACH TOP DOWN – BOTTOM UP Practices and Perceptions Does your agency have a mission and or vision related to employment of tenants? Do you (or your agency) have relationships with area employers? If so what type and how was it developed ? Does your agency Include Employment/Education goals in Service Plans? Are employment and/or education goals and outcomes part of the service planning and case conferencing?
- 21. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR APPROACH Employment Service Plans for Agencies The Development of Baseline Outcomes F/T Employment P/T Employment % Receiving SSI/SSDI Average Wage (Per Hour) Average Days Employed Hartford 3 9 50% $9.94 139 New Haven 1 6 57% $9.37 47 Bridgeport 1 17 55% $10.70 103 Total 5 32 72% $9.89 115
- 22. Employment and CommunityEngagement OUR APPROACH Helping Case Managers Address those Myths and Misperceptions Identifying and Remove Barriers Understand The Workforce Systems Connect Supportive Housing CM’s to Workforce Systems
- 23. Employment and CommunityEngagement YEAR 1 st OUTCOMES F/T Employment P/T Employment % Receiving SSI/SSDI Average Wage (Per Hour) Average Days Employed Total 38 6 63% $11.50 160
- 24. Employment and CommunityEngagement YEAR 2 Strategic Plan Create Indirect Job Development Models across the three regions Host Employment Case Conferences Partner with EPIC Work with Supervisor to help them address practices and perceptions within their agencies Create Peer Groups
- 25. Engagement / Pre-ContemplationActivities YEAR 2 Strategic Plan Through partnership with Connect-ability to increase knowledge across all employment sectors Document Systems Change
- 26. Employment and CommunityEngagement LESSONS from the GROUND There is a disconnect between job training and job creation There is a lack of communication between workforce development systems and service providers There is a lack of knowledge among providers of existing resources related to employment and training There is a lack of communication between clinical/medical providers and supportive housing case managers The need for sound employment related case conferencing, with “real time” resources
- 27. Employment and CommunityEngagement A-Ha Moments How Crucial the sharing of information or resources is in connecting tenants to the most appropriate employment services. One-Stops are self service oriented but can be adapted for use with case management intervention Job development needs to happen on the front end of training programs and not be an after thought “Green Jobs” and “Weatherization”
- 28. Employment and CommunityEngagement HOMEWORK EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE GUIDE Partner’s in Connecticut Employment Corporation for Supportive Housing: www.csh.org Reaching Home Campaign: http://www.ctreachinghome.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness: http://www.cceh.org/ Connect-ability: http://www.connect-ability.com/ Chronic Homeless Technical Assistance (CHETA): http://www.csh.org/index.cfm?nodeid=94 Connecticut Business Leaders Network: http://www.ctbln.com
Editor's Notes
- #4 Supportive housing is a proven, cost effective solution to homelessness for people most likely to cycle through state-funded systems. Supportive housing combines decent, safe, affordable rental housing with a range of individualized supportive services that help people live stable and independent lives. .