WEH - Employment Program Models for People Experiencing Homelessness

8/3/2019 WEH - Employment Program Models for People Experiencing Homelessness

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January 2012

Working to EndHomelessness Series

This brief was researched and

wrien by Nathan Dunlap with

Amy Rynell, Melissa Young, Chris

Warland, and Ethan Brown of the

Naonal Transional Jobs Network

Thanks to the Butler Family Fund

and the Working to End

Homelessness naonal community

of pracce for their support, insights

and other contribuons.

www.transionaljobs.net

[email protected]

Employment Program Models for

People Experiencing Homelessness:Dierent approaches to program structure

ENDWorking to

Most individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness want to workand a growing number of service providers and policymakers have taken

noce. Although choosing the right employment program model can

seem like a daunng task, research and wisdom from the eld shows

that mulple models have proven eecve or promising in aaching

the most disadvantaged jobseekers to work and helping them advance

to employment opons that meet their long-term needs and interests.

Addionally, these models can be helpful in building upon exisng skills

or developing new skills necessary to enter and succeed in employment

today. This best pracce brief highlights what is known about these

employment approaches to aachment and advancement, covering each

models purpose, elements, principles, funding, and research evidence, withexamples from the eld. Featured models include:

Transional Jobs

Individualized Placement Support

Alternave Stang

Customized Employment

Contextualized Basic Adult Educaon

Adult Educaon Bridge Programs

Sector-Based Training

Homelessness

The Naonal Transional Jobs Network (NTJN) launched the Working to EndHomelessness Iniave (WEH) in 2011, with support from the Butler FamilyFund, to shine a spotlight on the important role of employment soluonsin addressing homelessness and to idenfy and disseminate promisingemployment pracces. To achieve these ends, the NTJN conducted a reviewof literature, met with key stakeholders and experts, and convened anaonal community of pracce focused on employment programming forpeople experiencing homelessness. The community of pracce includes 22experienced workforce development professionals in 16 states that operate

a diverse set of employment models including transional jobs, supportedemployment, social enterprise, work readiness training, and alternavestang and serve a diversity of populaons experiencing homelessness.Throughout the course of a year professionals have idened best pracces,lied up employment soluons to serving the populaon, and highlightedpolicy and systems challenges to their work.
http://www.transitionaljobs.net/mailto:[email protected]://www.transitionaljobs.net/http://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjn/ntjn-weh-provider-directory-1-24-2012.pdfhttp://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjn/ntjn-weh-provider-directory-1-24-2012.pdfhttp://www.transitionaljobs.net/mailto:[email protected]://www.transitionaljobs.net/


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Aachment to Work Approaches to Addressing Homelessness

Because people experiencing homelessness form a diverse group, a variety of evidence-based

and promising approaches have emerged to assist transions into employment for dierent

subpopulaons,including Transional Jobs (TJ), Individualized Placement Support (IPS),

Alternave Stang, and Customized Employment (CE). Transional Jobs takes a stepping-stoneapproach ulizing me-limited wage-paid employment to build experience. Individualized

Placement Support engages parcipants in rapid entry to employment in the compeve labor

market integrated with supporve services and one-on-one job coaching for an indenite

period. Customized Employment and Alternave Stang negoate the descripon or duraon

of a job to meet both jobseeker and employer needs. The following outlines these approaches

that are at the forefront of supporng aachment to work for individuals at risk of or

experiencing homelessness.

Transional Jobs

The Transional Jobs (TJ) model is designed to

overcome employment obstacles by using me-

limited, wage-paying jobs that combine real

work, skill development, and supporve services

in order to transion parcipants successfully

into the labor market. TJ provides stability and a

stepping stone to unsubsidized employment for

people facing barriers to employment including

those at risk of or experiencing homelessness,

people residing in public housing, individualsleaving incarceraon, and families parcipang in

public benet systems such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).1 Core program

elements of the Transional Jobs model include the following:2

orientaon & assessment to idenfy parcipant strengths and barriers,

job readiness and life skills classes to support successful workplace behaviors,

employment-focused case management to coordinate services and manage barriers,

a Transional Job a real, wage-paying work experience to learn and pracce work-

readiness lessons,

unsubsidized job placement & retenon services to help parcipants enter and stay in

employment, and linkages to educaon and training to build basic skills and support career advancement in

quality jobs.

The TJ experience may be structured in a number of ways including scaered employment

sites, work crews, and in-house placements which are commonly provided at a social enterprise

business. Transional Jobs placements may be with for-prot, non-prot or public employers.

Real work experience is combined with orientaon and assessment, job readiness and life skills

2

Further Resources

Transional Jobs Design Elements

Naonal Transional Jobs Network

Funding Transional Jobs Programs

Ensuring the TJ is a Developmental

Experience
http://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjn/ntjn-weh-populations-1-24-2012.pdfhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/59499221/Transitional-Jobs-Program-Design-Elementshttp://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjnhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/59497141/Funding-Transitional-Jobs-Programs-Identifying-Sources-and-Developing-Proposalshttp://www.scribd.com/doc/61239699/Ensuring-that-the-Transitional-Job-is-a-Developmental-Experiencehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/61239699/Ensuring-that-the-Transitional-Job-is-a-Developmental-Experiencehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/61239699/Ensuring-that-the-Transitional-Job-is-a-Developmental-Experiencehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/61239699/Ensuring-that-the-Transitional-Job-is-a-Developmental-Experiencehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/59497141/Funding-Transitional-Jobs-Programs-Identifying-Sources-and-Developing-Proposalshttp://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjnhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/59499221/Transitional-Jobs-Program-Design-Elementshttp://www.heartlandalliance.org/ntjn/ntjn-weh-populations-1-24-2012.pdf


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classes, case management, job placement

and retenon services, wrap-around

supports, and linkages to educaon and

training.3 The Transional Jobs model holds

that the best way to learn hard and so

skills valued by employers is through realwork experience. Lessons from evaluaons

of Transional Jobs programs suggest

that programs must implement the TJ as

a developmental learning experience.

When the TJ model is implemented

developmentally, parcipants may learn

the daily paerns, tasks, and relaonships

of a real job, and have an opportunity to

learn and pracce successful workplace

behaviors. Parcipants earn income,

acquire a work history and reference,and gain access to benets such as

Unemployment Insurance, Social Security,

and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).4

The Transional Jobs model has many demonstrable benets for hard-to-employ individuals and

has demonstrated posive results in a number of random assignment studies, a longitudinal

study, and mul-method evaluaons.5 Notably, research shows that even during very weak

labor markets TJ keeps individuals employed, and contributes to lowering recidivism, reducing

public benets receipt, and improving the lives of children.6

Based on some ndings showing the employment eects fading over me the model hasevolved to include more robust job placement and retenon acvies, to make the TJ

experience more developmental, and new innovaons are being tested including linkages to

job training; stepped TJ that can include graduated responsibility, movement from in-house to

scaered-site placements, and transions from fully-subsidized to parally-subsidized wages;

monetary incenves like income supports and retenon bonuses; and enhanced peer support

and mentoring.

No single source of funding exists to support the implementaon of Transional Jobs programs.

Most TJ providers cobble together a myriad of local, state, and federal funds to support dierent

parts of the program. Transional Jobs providers may ulize funding through the Second Chance

Act to serve individuals exing incarceraon, the Workforce Investment Act for serving youthand adults, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Community Development Block Grant,

Supplemental Nutrion Assistance Program (formerly food stamps) Employment &Training

funds, and many other blends of public and private funding.7 Some of these sources of funding

support the payment of wages while others do not. TJ programs that operate social enterprises

typically leverage the earned income from the sale of products or services to pay for all or part-

of parcipant wages.

Keys to a Developmental TJ Experience

How is a Transional Job dierent/more

than temporary subsidized employment?

Transional Jobs are designed to ensure thatthe workplace is a learning environment in

which parcipants acquire successful work-

readiness skills by praccing them in a real

joblearning to work by working.

Provide transional employment that

represents real work experience

Foster strong communicaon and

feedback on progress and work-readiness

Be exible and allow for mistakes

Provide opportunies for peer and socialsupport


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Supported Employment

Individualized Placement Support (IPS) is the

standard evidence-based model of supported

employment for helping individuals with a

mental illness nd and keep a regular paid

job in the compeve labor market with

at least a minimum wage.8 IPS holds that

the best way to support self-suciency for

people with a mental illness is to support

rapid entry to the compeve labor marketintegrated with support services as soon as

the parcipant feels ready.

Primarily funded by Medicaid and other blends of public and private funds, the IPS model

has been tested through three quasi-experimental studies, six randomized controlled trials,

and numerous other studies, evidencing strong placement, retenon, and cost-eecveness.9

The research isolates what works about IPS and is best characterized through seven principles

Program Example The Doe Funds Ready, Willing & Able Program

Ready, Willing & Able oers 6 to 12 months of paid transional work experience in

posions such as street cleaning, security, and culinary arts to transional housingresidents at their Brooklyn, Manhaan, and Philadelphia locaons, as well as parolees on

a non-residenal basis. All parcipants begin the program by deploying as the men in

blue, cleaning streets and parks, and removing gra while undertaking job readiness

and adult educaon courses. They gain regular feedback and support from their case

managers and supervisors (who are themselves graduates), learn so skills from real

work experience, and typically transion to sector-based training and skilled work in

elds like energy ecient building maintenance, pest control, and commercial driving.

Ready, Willing & Able parcipants work a minimum of 30 hours a week and earn $7.40 to

$8.15 an hour with access to a range of employment and supporve service opons. On

average, graduates earn $10.31 an hour and are 60 percent less likely to be convicted of

a felony within three years than non-parcipants as of 2010. The Doe Fund is funded inpart by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Veterans Aairs, New York

States Department of Correconal Services, New York Citys Departments of Probaon,

Homeless Services, and Housing Preservaon, private donaons, and social enterprise

revenues.

Click here to learn more about Ready, Willing & Able.

Further Resources

SAMHSA Supported Employment Toolkit

IPS Fidelity Scale

Implemenng Supported Employment as

an Evidence-Based Pracce

Ending Chronic Homelessness throughEmployment and Housing
http://www.doe.org/programs/?programID=1http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA08-4365/TheEvidence-SE.pdfhttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~ips/page19/page21/files/se-fidelity-scale002c-2008.pdfhttp://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/xlmmq4lq.pdfhttp://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/xlmmq4lq.pdfhttp://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Report_CHETA_ProgamPolicy_Handbook.pdfhttp://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Report_CHETA_ProgamPolicy_Handbook.pdfhttp://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Report_CHETA_ProgamPolicy_Handbook.pdfhttp://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Report_CHETA_ProgamPolicy_Handbook.pdfhttp://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/xlmmq4lq.pdfhttp://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/xlmmq4lq.pdfhttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~ips/page19/page21/files/se-fidelity-scale002c-2008.pdfhttp://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA08-4365/TheEvidence-SE.pdfhttp://www.doe.org/programs/?programID=1


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that providers adhere to through a delity scale.10 The model also yields strong evidence for

eecveness in serving individuals with substance use issues experiencing homelessness.11

Research in supported employment nds that there is not a signicant dierence in

employment outcomes for individuals with dierent levels and types of mental health issues

and those parcipants tend to achieve their posion of choice.12 As such, IPS providers keep an

open door to rapidly serving individuals in need when parcipants consider themselves ready.

Once the parcipant is interested in employment, providers engage in the following:13

work one-on-one with the parcipant to assess interests, barriers, and strengths,

develop an individualized employment plan, oer counseling with regard to public benets, since the potenal loss of benets upon

geng a job can somemes serve as a disincenve to seeking employment,

support the parcipants rapid job search and placement in paid community-based posions

they desire,

oer ongoing vocaonal supports such as one-on-one job coaching and on-the-job training

and credenaling,

integrate employment assistance with mental health treatment and other supporve

services to beer help the individual work through employment barriers, and

connually reassess the client and provide addional support or re-placement as new

barriers emerge.

For individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, lessons from the U.S. DOL-HUD Iniave

to End Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing suggest that employment

should become a top priority aer the parcipant has sased basic needs such as housing and

has expressed interest in employment. Once individuals are stably housed, praconers may

engage housing residents to receive employment and other services, fostering bridges to self-

suciency, and facilitang an arena for mental health praconers and other service providers

to help individuals work through personal barriers on the job.14

Principles of Individualized Placement Support The principles of IPS are founded in asynthesis of supported employment evaluaon studies and isolate the core components

found essenal to successful employment outcomes.

Commitment to regular employment in the compeve labor market

Eligibility based on consumer choice rather than assessment

Rapid job search rather than work-readiness training

Placements individualized to parcipant preference and strengths

Indenite and individualized follow-along supports

Integraon with mental health and other supporve services

Benets counseling to secure income and overcome disincenves


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Alternave Stang

Alternave Stang Organizaons (ASOs) broker

temporary entry-level job placements for

individuals with diverse barriers to employment

including individuals at risk of or experiencing

homelessness, individuals with criminal

backgrounds, and individuals with a disabling

condion. Unlike convenonal stang rms,

ASOs hold a dual client perspecve. ASOs aim to

develop a quality ready-to-work labor force for

employers while helping jobseekers learn workplace skills, build experience and condence,earn an employment record, and leverage temporary placements to permanent jobs.15

ASOs support parcipants through work-readiness training, case management, and the

provision of supporve services including transportaon, job coaching, and assistance

transioning from temporary to permanent posions. On the employer side, ASOs eld the

costs of screening, hiring, payroll processing, and layos on a compeve fee-for-service

basis.Research shows that employers served by both convenonal and alternave stang

Further Resources

Introducon to Alternave Stang

Alternave Stang Alliance

Brokering Up

Program Example Employment Access Center at Central City Concern

At Central City Concerns Employment Access Center (EAC) in Portland, Oregon,

praconers provide IPS supported employment services to individuals experiencinghomelessness with primary addicon disorders and felony convicons to help them

permanently transion out of homelessness and rapidly enter employment in sectors

such as construcon, business and professional services, hospitality and tourism, and

retail. Parcipants benet from the condence and empowerment that comes from real

work and from personalized support through an integrated service team of supporve

housing case managers, addicon treatment counselors, and employment specialists with

a 1:25 caseload rao. Of the 319 clients served by the supported employment programs

in 2010, 71 percent of the 227 parcipants were placed in at least one job, 53 percent

of parcipants were employed full-me, and 77 percent of parcipants who found a job

were sll employed three quarters later. The average hourly wage was $9.96, although

one program achieved an average wage of $13.46 and naonally placed in the top 9thpercenle for IPS delity. Central City Concerns Employment Access Center is funded

in part by the Community Development Block Grant, the City of Portland, and private

donaons.

Click here to learn more about Central City Concern.
http://www.altstaffing.org/IntroGuide_7-7-08.pdfhttp://www.altstaffing.org/http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=csp_pubs&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dbrokering%2Bup%2Bppv%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft%3A%2A%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26startIndex%3D%26startPage%3D1%26safe%253http://www.centralcityconcern.org/http://www.centralcityconcern.org/http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=csp_pubs&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dbrokering%2Bup%2Bppv%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft%3A%2A%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26startIndex%3D%26startPage%3D1%26safe%253http://www.altstaffing.org/http://www.altstaffing.org/IntroGuide_7-7-08.pdf


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organizaons prefer the supervision and employee support that ASOs oer to regular

approaches.16 Based on lessons from the eld, experts nd that successful ASOs:17

are led by versale, highly-movated managers,

are backed by strong, commied organizaonal sponsors that bring local business and

funding opportunies, deliver a wide range of pre- and post-placement jobseeker support services, and

are exible in responding to market changes and opportunies.

This supporve and compeve approach allows a majority of ASOs to achieve signicant

nancial self-sustainability through strong parent-organizaon contacts and compeve fee

revenue. For example, one survey of the eld found that ASOs tend to cover at least 75 percent

of operang costs through fee revenues, with the remainder gained through public and private

grants, oen facilitated by the parent organizaon.18

Likewise, ASOs standard business pracces and exposure to compeve market forces show

promise in reacng more exibly to labor market shis and making a compeve business casefor permanent hiring through no charge temp-to-hire transions, One Alternave Stang

demonstraon shows that across four ASOs, about 16 to 41 percent of temporary workers

transioned to permanent posions with the same employer. Furthermore, 76 percent of the

parcipants said that they valued the exibility of temporary work, some of whom were co-

enrolled in a training program. This suggests that Alternave Stang may also serve as a bridge

between entry-level work and career advancement opportunies.19

Program Example Chrysalis Stang at Chrysalis Enterprises

Chrysalis Stang at Chrysalis Enterprises is an alternave stang agency in Los Angeles,

California. Chrysalis helps individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness remove

barriers to employment and gain the tools and support needed to nd and retain

employment through readiness training, job planning, and a temporary stang posion

(or posion in a social enterprise). Parcipants are encouraged to parcipate in all

comprehensive supports as they search for work including mentoring, job planning,

job-readiness and life-skill classes, communicaon services, work tools, and retenon

support groups. Parcipants then enter temporary stang posions in property

maintenance, light industrial, hospitality, warehousing, construcon, janitorial and special

event jobs. Through these placements, parcipants acquire real-world skills, increased

self-condence, a recent work history, references, and the so skills needed to secure

permanent employment. In 2010, Chrysalis Enterprises contributed to $2.5 million in

wages earned in over 218,000 hours of employment for 450 parcipants. Chrysalis

Enterprises is funded in part by social enterprise and fee-for-service revenues, private

donaons, and government grants.

Click here to learn more about Chrysalis Enterprises.
http://www.changelives.org/http://www.changelives.org/


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Customized Employment

Customized Employment (CE) is a

person-centered process for opening

employment opportunies by tailoring

job posions to the parcipantsstrengths and abilies that meet

an employers needs.20 No single

employment strategy works for

all jobseekers and individuals with

disabling condions, older adults,

and individuals leaving incarceraon

may benet from customized opons

and entrepreneurial opportunies to meet their needs and preferences. With this in mind, CE

programs adhere to the following principles:21

help jobseekers and the employer negoate employment customize the job placement to meet both parcipant and employer needs

oer person-centered services

help parcipants take the lead in placements and customizaon opons

foster exploraon and discovery of employment opons

provide a range of supporve services such as benets counseling

seek customized opportunies with potenal for advancement

The resulng job is a match between employer needs and the jobseekers assessed strengths,

challenges, interests, and goals.CE can open employment opportunies through a number of

pracces including job-carving, job-sharing, job negoaon, and Self Employment:22

Job-carving redenes a job posion, liming tasks to those which meet the assessed

strengths and interests of the parcipant while meeng the needs of the employer.

Job-sharing divides the tasks of a full job posion among mulple parcipants according

to their complementary strengths and interests, thus meeng the full demands of the

employer.

Jobnegoaon restructures a full posion to meet the individual needs of the parcipant

while sll meeng employer demand.

SelfEmploymentis a CE strategy that empowers parcipants to develop a microenterprise

within or outside of a larger business.23

Originally developed for individuals with disabling condions, Customized Employment is

typically funded through Medicaid, the Social Security Administraons Ticket-to-Work program,

the Workforce Investment Act, and grants through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administraon (SAMHSA).24 Numerous case studies show the promise of customizedemployment in serving many other disadvantaged jobseekers as well.25 Although research is

sll underway, experts from the U.S. DOL-HUD Iniave to End Chronic Homelessness through

Employment and Housing suggest that praconers use customized employment when other

approaches fail. CE may do especially well in helping permanent supporve housing residents

achieve community-based employment. For example, the Customized Employment Program

(CEP) in Portland, Oregon increased the self-suciency of individuals with great limitaons.26

Further Resources

Housing and Urban Development

Customizaon Lecture

Linking Customized Employment with

Supporve Housing

Self Employment and Social Enterprise Planning
http://www.hudhre.info/documents/AudioLecture7_Script.pdfhttp://www.hudhre.info/documents/AudioLecture7_Script.pdfhttp://documents.csh.org/documents/ke/toolkit-ending-homelessness/cep.pdfhttp://documents.csh.org/documents/ke/toolkit-ending-homelessness/cep.pdfhttp://bbi.syr.edu/nvtac/publications/briefing_papers/work_priority_self_employment.htmhttp://bbi.syr.edu/nvtac/publications/briefing_papers/work_priority_self_employment.htmhttp://documents.csh.org/documents/ke/toolkit-ending-homelessness/cep.pdfhttp://documents.csh.org/documents/ke/toolkit-ending-homelessness/cep.pdfhttp://www.hudhre.info/documents/AudioLecture7_Script.pdfhttp://www.hudhre.info/documents/AudioLecture7_Script.pdf


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Taking the Next Step: Career advancement strategies

The employment approaches described earlier can successfully help people enter work for

perhaps the rst me, but these are oen the rst step in their employment trajectory. Once

individuals have shown themselves and employers they can succeed in the workplace, and as

other facets of their situaon stabilize, they may want to explore a next stage of employment

and career preparaon. Addionally, some individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness

may have exisng educaon or skills that could be leveraged and re-tooled to support entry

into employment in a dierent job sector. Advancement in full-me work, increased wages,

and access to worker benets such as health insurance and paid me o are crical in helping

support individuals on a pathway toward economic security. Because income rises with

educaon and training, career advancement strategies that link individuals to college educaonor sectoral skills training are oen seen as the next step in workforce development aer people

achieve basic skills, stability and success in the labor market.27

While some of these strategies have not been implemented specically for individuals

experiencing homelessness, partnerships and bridges between connuing educaon and

training and the aforemenoned models may produce meaningful on-ramps to career

advancement. The following outlines evidence-based models for bridging the educaonal and

skill divide strategies that may prove the next step in workforce soluons to homelessness.

Contextualized Basic Adult Educaon

Contextualized instrucon and curriculum development is a pracce in the eld of adult literacy

and adult basic educaon that involves designing academic skills lessons using illustraons and

materials that are relevant in the context of an adult learners interests, employment goals, and

everyday life. Learner condence and persistence may increase when literacy and numeracy

instrucon is relevant to learners praccal goals, and when students are given the opportunity

to apply what they learn.28

Self Employment is a form of CE that allows recipients of Social Security Insurance

or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI/SSDI) to maintain benets while earning

addional income. Under the PlanforAchievingSelfSupport(PASS) , parcipants may

develop a microenterprise business in the marketplace or within a regular business.Parcipants work with a Benets Planning Assistance Outreach ocer (BPAO) at a One-

Stop Career Center to undergo benets counseling, determine strengths and interests,

develop a business plan, make a rental arrangement with a business if desired, and

aain the training and planning services needed from the One-Stop, state Vocaonal

Rehabilitaon agency, and a cered public accountant.


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Funded under Title II of the Workforce Investment

Act (WIA) and other blends of public and private

funds, contextualized curricula and instrucon

are applied to employment using common work

acvies and materials found in the workplace

to design reading and math lessons. For example,lessons contextualized to a warehouse workplace

could include lessons for calculang volume using

shipping box dimensions or reading lessons using forkli operang instrucons.29

As originally developed for on-site workplace English as a Second Language (ESL) instrucon

for English language learners, lessons contextualized with workplace acvies and materials

have shown signicantly posive results. For example, a rigorous evaluaon of the Integrated

Basic Educaon and Skills Training Program (I-BEST) in Washington State shows that parcipants

scored signicantly higher on the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS)

basic skills test than the control group, and were much more likely to earn college credits and

connue on to the second year.30 There may be parcular promise, based on some early pilots,in using contextualized instrucon in conjuncon with Transional Jobs to link permanent

supporve housing residents with green jobs sector-based training. Here TJ establishes the

workplace as an experienal learning environment that can reinforce classroom instrucon in

basic skills as well as work-readiness. Early results show posive educaonal impacts on nearly

all measures with promising job placement outcomes.

Adult Educaon Bridge Programs

Jobs that require at least some postsecondary

educaon are expected to grow in the next

decade, however many low-skilled jobseekers

lack the basic reading and math skills needed to

access post-secondary educaon and training

programs. One innovave way to link the hardest

to employ to a training program is by enrolling

them in a bridge program. Bridge programs

connect parcipants to post-secondary educaon

and training programs by equipping them with

basic academic and English language skills. Bridge

programs are condensed to make learning as ecient as possible and exibly scheduled to

meet individual needs. In Illinois, partners in the Shiing Gears project funded by the Joyce

Foundaon adopted a common denion and core mandated components of a bridge program,

which include:31

Contextualizedinstrucon that integrates basic reading, math, and language skills and

industry/occupaon knowledge.

Further Resources

Bridge Program Pracces and

Naonal Examples

Seng Up Success in

Developmental Educaon

Beyond Basic Skills

Further Resources

Presentaon on Contextualizaon

I-BEST Learning Resources
http://www.shifting-gears.org/illinois/61-state-progress-illinois-.htmlhttp://www.shifting-gears.org/transforming-basic-skills-services/53-transforming-basic-skills-services.htmlhttp://www.shifting-gears.org/transforming-basic-skills-services/53-transforming-basic-skills-services.htmlhttp://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/AtD_brief_success_082609.pdfhttp://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/AtD_brief_success_082609.pdfhttp://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Beyond-Basic-Skills-March-2011.pdfhttp://occrl.illinois.edu/files/Projects/shifting_gears/Presentation/Perin-CCRC.pdfhttp://flightline.highline.edu/ibest/http://flightline.highline.edu/ibest/http://occrl.illinois.edu/files/Projects/shifting_gears/Presentation/Perin-CCRC.pdfhttp://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Beyond-Basic-Skills-March-2011.pdfhttp://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/AtD_brief_success_082609.pdfhttp://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/AtD_brief_success_082609.pdfhttp://www.shifting-gears.org/transforming-basic-skills-services/53-transforming-basic-skills-services.htmlhttp://www.shifting-gears.org/transforming-basic-skills-services/53-transforming-basic-skills-services.htmlhttp://www.shifting-gears.org/illinois/61-state-progress-illinois-.html


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Careerdevelopmentthat includes career exploraon, career planning within a career area,

and understanding the world of work.

Transionservices such as academic advising, tutoring, coaching, and supporve services to

provide students with the informaon and assistance they need to successfully navigate the

process of moving from adult educaon or remedial coursework to credit or occupaonal

programs.

While research is sll underway across the naon, program evaluaons such as the Illinois

Adult Educaon Bridge Evaluaon suggest that bridge programs show promise in scaolding

prior knowledge to rapidly build on new learning, and in helping parcipant transion to higher

educaon and training through on-site career exploraon, planning, mentorship, and supporve

services.32 This strategy may prove useful for helping individuals experiencing homelessness

manage and surmount educaonal barriers to career advancement. Bridge programs are

funded through a variety of sources, although many are provided through state support of local

community college iniaves.33

Sector-Based Training

Sector-based training is a strategy for helping

parcipants increase employment and earnings

potenal. Sector strategies engage mulple

employers and other industry leaders in the

development of industry-specic training programs

linked to employment opportunies and workforce

needs in a sector. The approach oers parcipants

educaon and hands-on training to match in-demand job openings in a specic occupaon or

industry sector.34

Leaders in the eld target a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare,

informaon technology, construcon, hospitality, telecommunicaons, food producon,

child care, temporary stang, prinng, and many more. A focus on specic industries, with

their common occupaons and skill requirements, allows sector iniaves to develop greater

understanding of workers and employers in the eld, and develop regional partnerships to

obtain important input and buy-in, mobilize resources, and pool public and private funding

from local and regional stakeholders. To yield the best value from a sector iniave, partnering

providers should:35

focus on customizing soluons for employers in a specic industry over a sustained me

period,

strengthen economic growth, industry compeveness, and middle-class jobs by creang

pathways to targeted industries,

draw on the knowledge of local workforce intermediaries to facilitate stakeholders and rollout sector workforce soluons, and

advance systems change that achieves benets for the industry, workers, and community.

Further Resources

Overview of Sector Iniaves

Sectoral Funding Collaboraves
http://www.insightcced.org/uploads/nnsp/what-is-a-sector-initiative.pdfhttp://www.insightcced.org/uploads/publications/wd/Funding%20Collaboratives%20and%20Sector.pdfhttp://www.insightcced.org/uploads/publications/wd/Funding%20Collaboratives%20and%20Sector.pdfhttp://www.insightcced.org/uploads/nnsp/what-is-a-sector-initiative.pdf


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The Naonal Transional Jobs Network (NTJN) is a coalion of city, state, and federal policy makers; commu-

nity workforce organizaons; an-poverty nonprot service providers and advocacy organizaons commied

to advancing and strengthening Transional Jobs programs around the country so that people with barriers to

employment can gain success in the workplace and improve their economic lives and the economic condions of

their communies. The NTJN supports a constuency of over 5,000 acve members and stakeholders across the

country.

The NTJN is a project of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights.

While there is no research on sector-based training approaches specically for individuals

experiencing homelessness, seven percent of parcipants in Public/Private Ventures Sectoral

Employment Impact Study experienced homelessness before entering the training program.

Parcipants in sector training experienced signicant wage increases compared to the control

group according to this study. In addion, a number of praconers report success oering

sector-based training courses and in-house on-the-job training as core elements of theiremployment programs.36

Conclusion

As evidenced throughout this guide, numerous models and strategies have emerged to meet

the growing demand for workforce soluons to homelessness. Future investment in workforce

development and homelessness systems should advance employment approaches to prevenng

and ending homelessness through further program implementaon, evaluaon and program

dollars for promising aachment to work models, career advancement strategies, andmeaningful bridges between these approaches. Most individuals experiencing homelessness

want to work investment in these and other promising employment approaches to

homelessness is a worthwhile answer.

For more informaon please contact the Naonal Transional Jobs Network. Our other briefs in

the WorkingtoEndHomelessness:BestPracceSeries include:

Service Delivery Principles and Techniques: Helping people experiencing homelessness

engage in services and succeed in employment

Populaons Experiencing Homelessness: Diverse barriers to employment and how toaddress them

Employment Program Components: Consideraons for designing programming for people

experiencing homelessness
mailto:ntjn%40heartlandalliance.org?subject=http://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://c/Users/NathanDunlap/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Version%207.5/en_US/Caches/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfmailto:ntjn%40heartlandalliance.org?subject=


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Documents

WEH - Employment Program Models for People Experiencing Homelessness