Tampa Crossroads, Inc. Assisting Homeless Female Veterans to Sustainable Employment

Transcription

1 Tampa Crossroads, Inc. Assisting Homeless Female Veterans to Sustainable Employment

2 Homeless Female Veterans Best Practices for Re-entering Employment

3 According to U.S. DOL-WB There are 100,000 homeless veterans on any given night in the U.S. 7.5% of those homeless veterans are female 7,500 homeless female veterans on any given night

4 Since 2008, TCR has developed gender sensitive programming to address the needs of female veterans through gender based transitional housing and supportive employment services. ATHENA House

5 Female veterans are at 4-times greater risk of homelessness than their civilian counterparts. (Foster, 2010) Due to past trauma (MST,PTSD, DV) gender sensitive housing is recommended. Barriers must be removed to regain independence through employment

6 Through a 2009 partnership with U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau we have provided many homeless female veterans with the resources to transfer their military skills to civilian jobs. Military Skills for Civilian Jobs Skills and Training

7 Housing Counseling Career Counseling Case Management Job Development Employment Community Resources Permanent Housing Transportation

8 Assessing Veterans (and her family) needs When veterans are referred to us for employment assistance we must first determine her status and family needs. Working closely with our Clients the Case Manager will assist in developing a case plan to insure safety, stability and independence for the family.

9 During the initial assessment the barriers to employment are identified and a plan is put into place to address these barriers for long term success. The IEP is a road map for the Veterans goals. Barriers to Employment Stable Housing Transportation Relevant Skills Background Challenges Child Care SA/MH stability

10 The Case Manager must quickly determine the needs for safe, affordable housing, mental and physical health, and the stability of the veteran and her family members. Stable-Safe Housing is a Priority to stable employment

11 Lack of a permanent address prevents employer based contact, security for the family, benefit payments (food stamps etc.) that would otherwise assist the veteran family while in transition. At-risk or Homeless Without the benefit and safety of a fixed residence it is very difficult to assist veterans at-risk or homeless.

12 In the preemployment planning stages we must first assist the veteran to stable housing The lack of safe housing will confound all attempts for long term success. Best Practice Pre-Employment Planning Housing First Model

13 Matching Skills and Interests An initial assessment by the Career Counselor determines the path of greatest success for our Veterans.

14 Identifying skills that are transferable to current high growth job trends

15 Trainings, certifications, and education are key to transferring military skills to civilian jobs and developing new skills for employment in high growth jobs. High Growth Jobs

16 Training Increasing employability through skills building. Trainings are offered to all enrolled participants to meet the goals of their IEP

17 Job shadowing- OJT BEST PRACTICE On the Job Training is an excellent way to showcase the skills and abilities of the veteran at little or no cost to the employer.

18 BEST PRACTICE Working with the local Employers to train and certify veterans for specific positions and future openings. An MOU with employers will insure that potential employees are well trained and job ready when hiring takes place and confirm employers priority to hire Veterans.

19 Veterans Admin TBWFA Homeless Coalition HUD-VASH US Dept Of Labor CDC-Training Community Colleges Elks Lodge #708 Gold Star-Wives Retired Veterans Community Partners No single community based care organization can do it all. We need to form partnerships with everyone in our community who will play a part in preserving the dignity of our soldiers at a time of need. We embrace the individual donors as well as the large corporations who agree to hire our vets and we acknowledge that the problem of homeless women and children in our community requires a Village to solve.

20 Build community partnerships Access all available resources Assess for needs Connect with employers Make the Match Leverage with other programs Wrap-Up Identify Barriers to employment first in order to build a Path to Success

21 OUR STARS!