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Employment… More than just a job.
Laurel House members want to work.
An average of 75 members work on paying jobs in the community
every week. In one year the Laurel House Employment Unit helps
about 110 people achieve their employment goals. The mission
of the Unit is to help members obtain employment in fields of
their choice and provide support for them to stay employed. To
do this, the Unit offers varying levels of support through four
basic employment models: transitional
employment, which provides a high degree of support to help
members obtain temporary employment in regular places of business; BRS contracted
job placement, coaching and situational assessments for ongoing,
competitive employment; supported
employment, designed to help members get and keep a job as
independently as possible; and independent
employment, for working members who do not need the full
support of the programs, but remain connected to Laurel House.
All active members are encouraged to seek employment through
one of these program options, with ongoing support available
to all working members for as long as they are active in Laurel
House.
Employment support is more than just helping someone find a job. At Laurel House we believe that the program model is just the means to achieving a higher goal: the self-sufficiency and sense of satisfaction that come from meaningful employment. That is why Laurel House offers a variety of program options and is flexible about borrowing from different models. Our members don’t care what we call the program. They just want the support when they need it, how they need it. Some people want to test the waters with a temporary entry-level work experience. Others are interested in resuming a career interrupted by mental illness. That’s why we offer a comprehensive package of employment programs that can help all members achieve their goals.
Since its beginnings in 1984, Laurel House has been careful to
create a culture of recovery that values work and celebrates
member achievement in this area. Examples of this culture can
be seen in: a clubhouse bulletin board with pictures of members
holding up their first paycheck for everyone to see; the town
crier-type “job bell,” which is rung throughout the clubhouse
every time someone gets a job; boards that highlight the names
of everyone who is working; a monthly newsletter that recognizes
member achievements in employment and education; a weekly employment-education
support dinner where people talk about their struggles and successes
on the job, support one another, and trade information about
job-keeping skills and strategies; and an annual luncheon in
a public forum to honor working members and their employers.
Transitional Employment
Transitional employment (TE) is one of the defining characteristics of an ICCD-certified clubhouse. At Laurel House, an average of 15 members per month work on paying jobs in real places of business through this program. TE jobs last between six and nine months, 15-20 hours per week, allowing members to keep their Social Security, medical coverage and other benefits while they test the waters of employment. Many people work on successive TE jobs before transitioning to permanent independent employment. There is no limit to the number of TE placements a member can work.
About 40 members a year engage in paid community-based employment thanks to the TE Program. It is a good starting point for people who have not worked in several years or are uncertain about entering to the workforce. One of the most attractive features of the program is the coverage and support policy. Laurel House understands the difficulties of returning to the workforce, so our staff provide on-site training and support as well as job coverage in case of member absence. Employers like the TE model because they are guaranteed that the job gets done every day. They also report that Laurel House members are among their most reliable, enthusiastic, capable workers.
TE jobs are held "in trust" for the clubhouse, with a new member cycling through the job every six to nine months. Placement decisions are made by Laurel House staff, not the employer, so members feel free to test the waters of employment without making a long-term commitment or going through a competitive application and interviewing process.
Laurel House tries to make sure that the TE experience is available to any member who wants to work. We therefore strive to have a number of TE positions equal to at least 25% of our average daily clubhouse attendance. As with all Laurel House employment programs, eligibility is based on member choice. A desire to work is the sole criteria for participation in this program.
Transitional Employment – Defining Characteristics
- entry-level employment in mainstream integrated
settings at prevailing wage rates
- time-limited – six to nine months
- on-site job coaching
- guaranteed job coverage by Laurel House staff
- no competitive interviewing
- open eligibility
Supported Employment
In 1995, Laurel House received a grant from the Department
of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) to implement
a “supported employment” program that would complement the highly
successful Transitional Employment Program already in place.
The idea was to help people who had worked successfully on TE,
or were ready to take on a longer term commitment, find employment
in the competitive labor market. In this model, Employment Unit
staff assist members to identify job opportunities in the community
and help them prepare for a competitive application process.
Each member decides the level of support she requires. In some
cases that means polishing an old resume, obtaining an appropriate
wardrobe, working out transportation issues or rehearsing for
an interview. Once she finds a job, the member will receive ongoing
support from Laurel House staff and peers, including workplace
interventions with co-workers and supervisors, job coaching,
and peer support at weekly Employment-Education Dinners.
In supported employment, members are encouraged to develop an individualized support plan, which addresses their specific goals and needs. Some members will disclose their affiliation with Laurel House and encourage the employment unit staff to have regular contact with supervisors and/or co-workers. Others maintain strict confidentiality in the workplace. In this program, members’ job preferences are paramount. We take a long-term recovery approach to career development, helping members identify the fields they would like to work in (or return to), referring them for supported education services if desired, and assisting them to find the job that they desire. That job might be anything from a teacher in the public school system to a New York City book editor. In some instances we are helping people with no more than a couple of TE experiences on their resume. In other cases we are working with seasoned professionals who have extensive experience in law enforcement, health care, finance and technology and are looking to get back into their field or take a new career path. Laurel House Supported Employment meets each member at her own level of need and works with her to reach her goals.
Supported Employment – Defining Characteristics
- employment in mainstream integrated settings at prevailing wage rates
- competitive application process
- job coaching and other on-site support services if desired by member
- ongoing support as long as the member
wants it
- member “ownership” of job
- open eligibility
BRS-Contracted Services
In 2006, Laurel House entered into a contract with the Bureau
of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) to provide placement and
job coaching services to their clients. In this model, BRS contracts
with Laurel House to provide these services to members on a fee-for-service
basis. This program offers an intermediate level of support between
TE and Supported Employment. The fee-for-service structure allows
Laurel House to allocate intensive staff resources to help members
find and get established in a new job. Once a member finds a
job and is established there for a minimum of three months, they
are discharged from the program and picked up in either Supported
or Independent Employment.
The BRS program also offers “situational assessments” for some
members who are having difficulty finding or keeping a job. In
this service, BRS pays a partner business to employ a member
in a job for two to four weeks, while a Laurel House job coach
assesses his or her performance to develop a rehabilitation plan.
In many cases, a situational assessment results in ongoing, paid
employment with the partner company.
BRS-Contracted Services – Defining Characteristics
- employment in mainstream integrated settings at prevailing wage rates
- Time-limited “situational assessments”
- competitive application process (except for situational assessments)
- job coaching and other on-site support services
- support is time-limited, jobs are not
- member “ownership” of job
- must meet BRS eligibility requirements
Independent Employment
Independent Employment is an unofficial designation, used to identify all the members who receive supportive services from Laurel House, while working independently on a mainstream job in the community. Many of these members have been discharged from the BRS and Supported Employment Programs, but continue to attend Employment-Education Dinners and receive support from Employment Unit staff. Others have obtained employment independently of Laurel House or choose not to be enrolled in a formal program.
All members who maintain their status in Independent Employment for a year or longer are inducted into the “Earner & Learners” Hall of Fame and are honored at a annual luncheon in a public forum.
Independent Employment – Distinguishing Characteristics
- an unofficial designation for working members not enrolled in other employment programs
- employment in mainstream integrated settings at prevailing wage rates
- competitive application process
- ongoing support as long as the member
wants it
- member “ownership” of job
- induction in the “Earners & Learners” Hall of Fame after 1 year
- open eligibility
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