Job Programs for Reentry Populations - Careers For Cause

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

County Spending Category

1.3 Care First, Jails Last

Federal Expenditure Category

Assistance to Unemployed or Undermployed Workers (e.g. job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)

Project Launch Date

04/01/2022

Anticipated End Date

12/31/2026

Interpretation Languages
  • Spanish
Written Languages
  • Spanish

Project Contacts

Indicators & Metrics to Date

  • Number of Workers Enrolled in Sectoral Job Training Programs
    479
  • # of partnered community colleges who will serve as training partners
    6
  • Number of Workers Completing Sectoral Job Training Programs
    211
  • Partner with homeless provider
    4
  • Partner with community-based organizations to administer program
    3
  • Establish Partnership with LAHSA
    1
  • percentage of people experiencing homelessness
    50
  • percentage of veterans served
    5
  • percentage of system impacted individuals
    29
  • percentage of job placements
    137
  • Target populations served – People Experiencing Homelessness
    130
  • Target populations served – System Impacted Individuals
    92
  • Target populations served – Veterans
    5
  • Job placement
    94
  • Number of Workers Completing Sectoral Job Training Programs
    196
  • Number of People Completing Trainings
    211
  • Number of People Completing Trainings
    196

Populations Served

  • Systems Impacted Individuals
  • Systems Involved Individuals
  • People Experiencing Homelessness
  • Veterans and people who have previously experienced homelessness.

Project Description

Careers for a Cause (C4C) is an 8-week training program that supports individuals with lived experience in homelessness or the justice system in building skills and connecting to work in the homeless services and social services field. The program is administered by service providers who serve as subject matter experts. Careers for a cause is held at six community colleges across all five supervisorial districts. Supportive services in the form of weekly stipends, personal laptop and internet hotspot distribution, clothing allowances, and wraparound services like case management, occupational therapy, and job placement assistance are offered to all participants for the duration of the program. Wraparound services for successful program participants will continue for 12 months after program completion. Over the course of 8-weeks, via community college curriculum, students will learn soft skills that include: Digital literacy Writing composition, Trauma informed care Mental health first aid First aid/CPR training Workplace readiness During the second iteration of C4C, on-the job trainings (OJT’s) will be available for increased employee development by providing career readiness skills upon successful program completion. The OJT portion of the program will allow students to gain hands-on knowledge of the skills needed to work in the social services sector. The OJT component will also formally acquaint participants with workplace experience which is crucial for the retention of the targeted population of Careers for a Cause. This will help to explore the relationship between the knowledge & skills acquired during instruction with those required in working situations. On-the-job Training Objectives: Demonstrate the broad role of social workers in the industry. Targeted roles for OJT’s include: Community Health Worker/Peer Support Specialist, Housing Navigator, and Resident Ambassador and the like Afford the students an opportunity to establish an interest in the sector Provide general work experience for each specified role, including the following experience: Effective/Interpersonal Communication Customer service techniques Effective Listening Methods Motivational interviewing skills Crisis intervention methods Effective engagement with community members Provide a pipeline between DEO Workforce Programs and homeless/social services industry employers so that program participants meet the needs of in-demand jobs while also aiding employers’ needs to fill vacancies. C4C aims to target high-demand employment vacancies in the homeless and social services sectors. Career track selection will be added to the program curriculum. In-dept engagement of sector employees will also ensue over the 8-week training period to ensure that students have profound understanding of social work. Through the increased engagement of sector employers, WIOA and AJCC on-the-job trainings (OJT’s) will be leveraged to secure employer commitment of hiring program graduates. Employer engagement roundtables will be held to gather valuable input from industry employers. Targeted high-demand homeless sector employment tracks include: (1) Community Health Worker (2) Peer Support Specialist Although there is a vast need for Case Managers, it is accompanied by a requirement of secondary education which is not always in alignment with the population served by C4C. Conversations with LAHSA are still underway to address requirements for these roles to ensure lived experience is valued in lieu of college degrees or secondary education.

Goals & Objectives

Goal Description To leverage and prepare individuals with lived experience in homelessness, justice system involvement, veterans, and other marginalized individuals for careers in the homeless and social services industry. 

Objective Description By December 2024, build an empathetic workforce in the homeless and social services sector by training 228 individuals with lived experience for industry careers in 8 week-program cohorts.

Activity Description Train individuals with lived experience in an 8-week pre-employment training program

Indicators

# Type Name Baseline Target
18 Service Delivery percentage of people experiencing homelessness 50.00 70.00
19 Service Delivery percentage of veterans served 5.00 20.00
20 Service Delivery percentage of system impacted individuals 29.00 30.00
22 Service Delivery Target populations served – People Experiencing Homelessness 220.00 154.00
23 Service Delivery Target populations served – System Impacted Individuals 220.00 72.00
24 Service Delivery Target populations served – Veterans 220.00 12.00

Objective Description By December 2024, 60% of program participants will be placed in the homeless/social services industry.

Activity Description Develop and maintain engagement with industry employers in the form of employer speaking events, job fairs, and mock interviews

Indicators

# Type Name Baseline Target
21 Service Delivery percentage of job placements 54.20 60.00
25 Program Outcome Job Placement 220.00 144.00

Outcome Description By December 2024, 95% of program participants will be equipped with the soft skills necessary for industry careers, and as a result, combating the homeless crisis, and building an autonomous workforce.

Indicators

# Type Name Baseline Target
2 Program Outcome Number of People Completing Trainings 220.00 209.00
15 Program Outcome Number of Workers Completing Sectoral Job Training Programs 220.00 209.00
28 Program Outcome Number of Workers Completing Sectoral Job Training Programs 220.00 209.00
29 Program Outcome Number of People Completing Trainings 0.00 220.00