Creating Community Employment Pathways

A Strategy to Improve Employment Outcomes for Homeless Job Seekers

in the Mainstream Workforce Development System

A New HUD Guidebook:

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 “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle

requires creative imagination and marks real advances in

science.”-Albert Einstein

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Challenges to Making Work a Priority

• People Have Complex Problems

• Practitioner Beliefs & Skills

• Linear Service Approaches

• Structure of Entitlements

• Funders Uncertainty About Whether or Not There Is a Compelling Argument

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2010 Federal Strategic Plan – key objectives

• #5 Increase meaningful and sustainable employment for people experiencing or most at risk of homelessness

• #6 Improve access to mainstream programs and services to reduce people’s financial vulnerability to homelessness

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Adequacy of 10 year plans

Goal Measure Relevant Components/ Partners

Comments

3. Increase income from employment

% of families & individuals who increase income from employment between program entry and exit

Prevention, interim housing, permanent supportive housing

Partners: Dept of Employment Services (DOES), employment assistance providers

Put DOES terminals and staff in Resource Centers, shelters.

Need to assess for employment and track employment in system.

Could also do over time after program exit; requires follow-up survey

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Will your plan increase homeless employment?

“Collaboration and cooperation between mainstream agencies for services. Similar to housing production, it will be important that many District agencies work collaboratively. For example, Department of Employment Services efforts will be vital to helping people who are homeless to find jobs and increase their income.”

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What Homeless Job Seekers Want?

• To Be Met By Us Where They Are At (Welcomed)

• Assistance to prepare for and secure satisfying work

• Access to jobs that offer growth, a living wage and that are available in their community

• Timely, respectful work support services at the right intensity (counseling, transportation, etc.)

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How Are We Doing?Program Population Entered

Employment

Access to Community Care & Effective Services and Supports (ACCESS)

Homeless Mentally Ill 22%

Job Training for the Homeless Demo Program (JTHDP)

Broad Spectrum of Homeless

36%

Ending Chronic Homelessness (ECH)

Chronic Homeless 47%

Employment Intervention Demo Project (EIDP)

Serious Mental Illness 3% Homeless

55%

Supported Employment Mentally Ill, Not Homeless

58%

Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP)

Homeless Veterans 61%

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How Well Has Our Community Done?

• Are your plans substantive and offer a detailed strategy

• Do programs target or engage homeless job seekers

• What is the % of homeless people entering and maintaining employment

• How much is spent for employment assistance to those who are homeless

Inclusive focus Plans + Engagement + Outcomes + Money

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Community Employment Pathway

• A means by which key stakeholders in local workforce development and homeless assistance agencies can better understand business and labor force trends and, on that basis, develop informed strategies to respond to worker and business needs.

• A strategic planning and ‘strategic research’ approach to taking a close look at the needs of their community

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Community Employment Pathway

• Modeled after the US DOL Community Audit Initiative

• A Guidebook produced by ICF and AHP for U.S. HUD

• Projects initiated in Washington State, the District of Columbia, Chicago and Detroit

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Access, Training & Support Improve Outcomes

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What might happen as a result of CEP?

Collaboration between workforce and homeless agencies

A detailed blueprint of specific strategies and services to increase the employability of individuals experiencing homelessness

Reach consensus employment service financing options

Improve access to workforce services and improve employment supports

Increase the labor market participation of people experiencing homelessness

Increased understanding of the needs of homeless job seekers as well as employers

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Preparing for Change

• Setting The Climate for Change

• Structures Supporting and Inhibiting Change

• Making Decisions to Support Pathways

• Influencing the Planning Process

A New HUD Guidebook to Make Work A Priority

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Researching

• Opportunities in the Labor Market

• Mapping Services and Supports

• Determining Job Seeker Interests, Experiences and Needs

• Funding

• Community Models

A New HUD Guidebook to Make Work A Priority

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Establish Task Groups

• Demand Siders – Labor market & employers

• Supply Siders – Job seekers & training programs

• Support Siders – Supportive services, treatment, & housing

• Program Design – Best practices & implementation issues

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Developing the CEP Plan

• Drafting the Formal Report

• Low-hanging Fruit and Long Term Options

• Mobilizing Support for the Plan

• Secure Funding and Resources

• Government Partnerships

A New HUD Guidebook to Make Work A Priority

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Implementing Career Paths

• Moving Forward with Employers

• Developing Staff Capacities

• Barriers to Effective Implementation

• Addressing Barriers

A New HUD Guidebook to Make Work A Priority

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Monitoring Progress & Evaluation

• Career Path Progress in Targeted Occupations

• Percent of Workers Advancing

• Satisfaction of Workers and Employers

A New HUD Guidebook to Make Work A Priority

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Impacts of CEP

IndividualsOrganizations

& ServicesCommunities

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Property Management Partnerships

• Targets the Affordable Housing Industry

• Chicago and Bridgeport

• Community College Based Curriculum

• Recognized Certification

• Educational Coaching & Support

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Property Management in Affordable Housing

Certified Property Manager

Assistant Property Manager

Leasing Specialist

Property Management Clerk I & II

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Seattle & King County, WA

• Launched Pathways Employment Initiative • Engaged 60+ stakeholders to own

Pathways• Identified 11 early victory action

opportunities• Identified additional long-term strategy

opportunities• Researched employer needs in key

industries

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Research Says…• Cook - Programs that work with homeless mentally ill

persons may better serve their clients by placing as great an emphasis on providing employment services as on providing housing and clinical treatment.

• Drake - Integration of approaches, disciplines, and interventions at the level of service delivery produces better outcomes.

• Trutko – DOL grants substantially helped build and intensify partnerships among those involved – and grantees indicated that these collaborations likely would be sustained in the future.

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CEP Resources

http://www.hudhre.info/documents/CEPGuidebook.pdf

http://www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/communityaudits/docs/finalreport/finalreport.pdf

http://www.seattle.gov/housing/homeless/employmentreport.pdf