Promoting Economic Security Through Job Skills Training and Employer Partnerships

July 14, 2011

Project Hope’s Mission

Project Hope works in partnership with families so they can move up and out of poverty. We do this by:

• Being a catalyst for change in the lives of families & systems that keep them poor;

• Developing and providing family support solutions for homelessness & poverty;

• Advocating for just public policies which strengthen families.

Project Hope’s programs focus on strengthening the family and building economic empowerment and

independence.

What Does Our Community Look Like?

Unemployment rate (10.1%) in our immediate neighborhood is twice rate for Boston Almost one-third of residents 25+ do not have HS/GED, compared to 16.7% for rest of city < 8% of residents 25+ have BA, compared 23% rest of city 60% of Dudley area families (83% single parent families) unable to pay basic necessities from income Average rent 2 bdrm apt in Dorchester $1,200-1,300/mo Waiting list of nearly 15,000 seeking Sec 8 vouchers Average wait for public housing is 8 years Nearly 40% of families in shelter in MA from Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan, w/ high concentration of these families in the Dudley neighborhood

Family Child Care Housing Services

Children’s Center

Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships

Adult Educational Services

Family Shelter

Project Hope Programs - a holistic approach

What Does Project Hope’s Families Look Like?

• Serve about 1,000-1,100 participants a year• Primary focus is on Roxbury and Dorchester

neighborhoods of Boston (~ 70%)• Serve low-income women and their families• Particular focus on homeless or at-risk of homelessness• Predominately African-American or Latino• About 65% have high school diploma/GED but varies

greatly by program• Average monthly family income $889.25 (2009)• Most receive some form of public assistance

The Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships Mission:

To break the cycle of joblessness

by providing training, career coaching,

job readiness services and

employment support to low income residents.

Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships:Case Management

Project Hope’s Training Continuum

Workforce Development& EmployerPartnerships

Collaborative Shelter/Project 90 Partnership

ProfessionalReadiness Employment

Program (PREP)

Community Partners In Health

Professions (CPHP)

Partners in Career & Workforce Development

(PCWD)

Food serviceRetail

variousEntry level

Health care General service

Entry level

Insurance call centersOffice work

General entry/intermediate

Health care Office administrative

intermediate

Au Bon PanProject Place

Enterprises & partnersExternal employers

Brigham & Women’s Hospital

Maloney PropertiesExternal employers

Brigham & Women’s Hospital

Tufts Health PlanPartners Health Care

Partners Health CareBrigham & Women’s

Hospital

$8.50/hr & up $10-12/hr $12-14/hr $13-17/hr

Assistant Property Manager Training

(coming)

Property managementOffice administrative

intermediate

Maloney Properties&

External employers

$14 & up

Project Hope Collaborative Shelter Program

Project Hope

Participants Referred to

Project Hope

Intake & Assessment

Action Plan created by Case Manager & Participant

Internal WDEP Training Program

External Training Program

Internal Educational Program

External Educational Program

Shelter Partners

Case Management Support

Case Management Support

Shelter Collaborative Program

Program completely reorganized spring 2010Come from PH’s open houses and/or shelters, with

about 1/3 coming from partner sheltersLast fiscal year, served 128 homeless or at-risk of

homelessness families, including over 200 childrenAbout 49% participated in educ or training & <20% have

gained employment since started program

Outcomes still in progress: engagement period is 1 year Undercounting outcomes b/c data entry

Project Hope’s Training Continuum

Workforce Development& EmployerPartnerships

Collaborative Shelter/Project 90 Partnership

ProfessionalReadiness Employment

Program (PREP)

Community Partners In Health

Professions (CPHP)

Partners in Career & Workforce Development

(PCWD)

Food serviceRetail

variousEntry level

Health care General service

Entry level

Insurance call centersOffice work

General entry/intermediate

Health care Office administrative

intermediate

Au Bon PanProject Place

Enterprises & partnersExternal employers

Brigham & Women’s Hospital

Maloney PropertiesExternal employers

Brigham & Women’s Hospital

Tufts Health PlanPartners Health Care

Partners Health CareBrigham & Women’s

Hospital

$8.50/hr & up $10-12/hr $12-14/hr $13-17/hr

Assistant Property Manager Training

(coming)

Property managementOffice administrative

intermediate

Maloney Properties&

External employers

$14 & up

Health Care

& Office Work

CPHP & PCWD Program

Partners:

Partners HealthCare, Brigham &

Women’s & Tufts Health Plan

Project Hope Training By Sectors

Food Service

& Retail

PREP Program &

Project 90

Partner:

Au Bon Pain

Property Management

CPHP Program &

Maloney Partnership

Partner:

Maloney Properties

Workforce Development Continuum

Professional Readiness Employment Program (PREP)

Community Partners in Health Professions (CPHP)

Partners in Career & Workforce Development (PCWD)

Many Participants Benefit from our Program…

• Just under 60% placements FT

• 90 day retention rate @ 90%

• 1 year retention rate @ 75%

2010

Participants enrolling in all tracks 140

Participants graduating all tracks 112

Participants placed into employment 83

% of graduates placed into employment 74%

Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships Program has diversified funding

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

$800,000

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Year

Rev

enu

e

In-Kind Donations

Project Hope Support

Government Grants

Corp / Found Grants

Employer Partnerships

Best Practices

• Employer Partnerships/Dual Customer Approach• Providing continuum of training & employment • Case management & holistic approach to participants• Leveraging relationships• Coordinated collaboration• Flexible Funds & Early Interventions

Challenges

•More families seeking services as result of economy

•Our residents younger than compared to city as whole

•MA redesign of its state homeless system from shelter-centric to housing first model

•Funding

•Individual life & job history barriers – CORI, low education levels, etc. & employers’ ever increasing demand for HS /GED even for most entry-level jobs

•Expanding our continuum to better provide training and job opportunities for those w/out HS/GED and/or very limited work histories

Tanya has traveled this path…

PROJECT HOPE

www.prohope.org

550 Dudley StreetRoxbury, MA 02119

617-442-1880

jburkley@prohope.org