Alliance for Full Participation November, 18, 2011

The Ohio Assets and Neighbors Initiative, including the Texas & Florida Certified Business Technical Assistance Consultant State VR Systems Changes

Griffin-Hammis Associates David Hammis, Senior Partner

Customized Employment and Self Employment: Changes at the State VR level

Alliance for Full ParticipationNovember, 18, 2011

What is the Assets and Neighbors Initiative About?

Using Universal Economic Development approaches to create businesses and jobs in Ohio communities

A collaborative community approach (training, technical assistance, and mentoring; resource mapping; community action teams; engaging all community members)

$500,000 in quick launch funds available for prospective business owners and job seekers in 6 OH sites (Approximately $83,000 per site)

Griffin-Hammis Associates

Who? Job Seekers with the most significant

disabilities (Assets)

The Community (Neighbors—includes generic services and everyone else!)

OH Rehabilitation Services Commission

Fairfield County Board

Griffin-Hammis AssociatesGriffin-Hammis Associates

How? Engage the Community! Resource & Capitalization Mapping

Community Action Teams (CATs):

include generic and disability specific agencies and systems, job seekers, family and friends, business and community leaders, anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and help


• Monthly local 2 hour Meetings & state conf. calls

• Quarterly state 2 Day Mtgs.• Community Business and

Thought Leaders• Learning together goals,

tracking, reporting, updates• Issues/Opportunities• Advice, Connections, Review

business/employment Plans

Community Action Teams

How? (Microenterprise and Customized Employment)

Self-Employment: Utilizes flexible approaches and supports, including

microenterprise and “business-within-a-business” strategies

A unique opportunity to create an employment circumstance specifically tailored to a personal situation, degree of mobility, speed of production, stamina, health, and accommodation needs

Grew by 2.2% between 2006 and 2008 Representing 18% of all employment Representing 88% of all businesses

Association for Enterprise Opportunity2008 Data



Self-Employment: The only substantial option within SSA and Medicaid &

Medicare systems to accrue personal wealth and manage income predictably. There are no comparable options within wage employment

SSA policies, such as Property Essential to Self-Support (PESS), direct SSI to exclude all resources (assets) used in a (unincorporated) business including all liquid (cash) assets used in the business by SSI recipients and/or Medicaid recipients



Customized Employment: “Individualizing the relationship between

job seekers and employers in ways that meet the needs of both”

Not driven by the labor-market Non-comparative Begins with the individual job seeker Utilizes creative and flexible approaches

to wage employment, including negotiations with employers and Resource Ownership

Law of Requisite Variety


How? Engage the Community!

Partnership Between the Ohio Department of Development/Small Business Development Centers and OH RSC:

July 2010 through September 2011 Services provided (creativity/resource

development; screening in vs. screening out; don’t create barriers)

$$ to fund business expenses (goods and services to start a small business, supports, case services)


How? Resources $500,000 in quick launch funds available for

job seekers and prospective business owners in 6 OH sites (Approximately $83,000 per site)

Blending and Braiding Funds, Leveraging Resources

Partnership between DOD SBDCs and OH RSC A SSI and/or SSDI benefit recipient has tens of

thousands of dollars surrounding her


How? Resources Utilize Social Security Work Incentives

such as Plan to Achieve Self-Support and Ticket to Work.-Example: In December 2009, there were 79,789 Ohio residents who receive both SSI and SSDI (Perfect PASS Potential) .

The Average PASS = $7,000/year or

$558,523,000 potential for use towards a work goal.


Documents

Alliance for Full Participation November, 18, 2011