Attachment
Herkimer/Madison/Oneida Promising Practice - Process Steps
Single Application
Name of Promising Practice: Ladder to the Future
Category: Workforce Development Partnership Initiatives
Application Contact: Alice J. Savino Title: Executive Director
Organization/Address: Workforce Investment Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties, 209 Elizabeth St., Utica, NY 13501
E-Mail Address: asavino@working-solutions.org
Phone: (315) 793-6037
Step I: Identifying and Analyzing the Issue/Problem
When the Herkimer-Madison-Oneida region opened its Working Solutions One-Stop Centers, it was hoped that disadvantaged youth would be among the populations served, as would the transient and homeless (or shelter-residing) populations, which are often dominated by older youth. This hope proved to be illusory.
Although marketing initiatives had increased traffic from job seekers, and employers were increasing their use of the Centers, youth did not show up. Singe mothers, homeless residents living in shelters and other marginalized young people, who rely on services through agencies located with a block or two of the Utica Working Solutions Center, were not making the extra few steps to come to the center.
One key reason for this was that two major not-for-profit Community-Based Organizations which had been expected to provide this kind of outreach were unable to do so due to internal disarray that resulted in their ultimate removal from the neighborhood.
In 2002, Oneida County Workforce Development Director David Mathis met with leaders of Community-Based Organizations in the Utica area, including Mohawk Valley Community Action (which operates Head Start), the Rescue Mission (the major shelter serving homeless men, and the now-defunct Utica Community Action (which was then a system partner) as well as One-Stop System staff who either live near or have strong connections to the neighborhoods where the populations live that were not coming to the Centers.
From these meetings, it was decided that increased outreach efforts were needed. However, outreach alone was not considered sufficient to attract people into the building where the One-Stop was housed. The system needed new partners who would be active in the community, and who could serve as an intermediary between the neighborhood where people with critical needs reside and the system that had the resources to serve them. It also needed user-friendly outreach areas where staff could meet with customers on the customers’ turf.
Step II: Stating the Goal and Desired Outcomes
“Ladder to the Future” was launched as an inclusive project of bringing community partners into an alliance with the public workforce investment system to increase the numbers of youth, the homeless and other disadvantaged populations using One-Stop System services.
Goals were set to provide benchmarks by which to measure achievement.
It was proposed to:
The time frame for accomplishing these goals was the 2002-2003 Program Year.
Step III: Identifying Resources Needed/Critical Partners
The first major implementation challenge of this effort was to find a community partner who would take on a lead role. This was essential because it was strongly believed that the community would respond better to a familiar face from within the community than a government or quasi-governmental entity coming into the neighborhood. This was more time-consuming than expected, because the post-9/11 environment and issues caused by the decline of two major not-for-profits had left most other agencies reluctant to go beyond their established programming.
However, while Oneida County Workforce Development was looking for partners, the Rev. Johnny Wilson of St. Paul’s Baptist Church was looking for new ways to work with the youth in his church’s neighborhood as part of his mission to keep them away from destructive behaviors. Although Rev. Wilson was at first looking for partners in areas more directly related to crime prevention and substance abuse prevention, Rev. Wilson became interested in a partnership with Workforce Development as he grew to understand that workforce development for youth was often interwoven with efforts to help them avoid, reduce and eliminate destructive behaviors.
At this time, the U.S. Department of Labor announced its initial competition for faith-based grants to help connect faith-based and grass roots organizations to the Workforce Development system. St. Paul’s, working in close cooperation with Oneida County Workforce Development’s grants writer, applied for and received funding. We believe that one crucial connection was the partnership agreement in which Oneida County Workforce Development acted as fiscal agent for the project, because this gave the project a fiscal agent with a track record, and allowed the church to focus on its mission . By its very nature, the grant application and the process of creating the framework for the grant-funded project laid the groundwork for the action plan.
While efforts were made to secure funding in partnership with St. Paul’s Baptist Church, Oneida County Workforce Development worked to secure an outreach outpost within the community that would be able to provide a central location for recruitment and distributing information. Workforce Development committed funding to lease space at the Cornerstone Building, the location of a major HeadStart Center.
The goal of this was to have space where partners, relatives and neighborhood residents could “drop in” to learn about programming at a time that was convenient for them, and also a place where materials about Workforce Development programs and services could be easily accessible to those in greatest need of them. The target audience for the Cornerstone outreach was young adults and older youth (particularly young single mothers) as well as older adults in a caregiver role who could pass along information about training programs such as InVEST, etc.
Although these two efforts focused on the younger end of the spectrum of potential customers, neither was expected to focus on the homeless or disadvantaged adults who need workforce development services but will not come to the government building where the Utica One-Stop Center is housed. Workforce Development began a relationship with Hope House, a soup kitchen located amid other agencies serving the homeless, impoverished and disadvantaged along Utica’s “Hospitality Row” or agencies.
The goal of this effort was to target adults who are not going to come anywhere near a government office unless they can be persuaded it is to their advantage. Workforce Development also began a relationship with Oneida County Communities That Care, a group of human services and social services agencies working collaboratively to share information and explore cooperative programming. The goal was the same: Increase the familiarity of workforce services so that adults who come to agencies not affiliated with the One-Stop System can learn about programs and services that exist to help them.
By the end of June 2002, funding had been secured for St. Paul’s Baptist Church and its project and outreach through the Cornerstone Building. Staff time devoted to outreach at Hope House and through Communities That Care was absorbed by Workforce Development.
Step IV: Developing the Action Plan
For two of the three phases of this project, the plan for outreach consisted of staff members being present in community facilities (Hope House, Cornerstone Building) at regularly scheduled hours to talk with community residents and leave any information sheets, brochures, etc. on new programs. This would later be adapted to these staff agreeing to be flexible with their time to attend other community outreach events at which the potential customers sought by this project would be attending. Having this flexibility was important to making connections with residents, who were generally cautious in the early stages of outreach until the outreach staff began to become familiar faces.
For the third part of the plan – the project with St. Paul’s Baptist Church – the needs of the grant application process provided the framework for action. The one-year grant set a very clear deadline for accomplishing tasks.
Key action steps included:
Soft skills training: Youth were to receive 50 hours of soft-skills training to increase their ability to meet a key employer concern – the inability of new applicants to mesh as a team. Speakers were to include employers, counselors, workforce development staff, and clergy.
Youth tours of the One-Stop Career Center in Utica: Although the Utica One-Stop is located less than a mile from the neighborhoods that house this project’s target population, few youth visit the One-Stop. This project was to bridge that gap by bringing small groups to the One-Stop, where they can be screened for potential WIA eligibility and enrollment in any on-going programs (such as the WIB’s Out of School Youth effort) and they can become acquainted with the Resource Room and its on-line career guidance resources.
Mentoring: Anecdotal evidence from youth served by St. Paul’s pregnancy prevention and anti-drug efforts indicates that Utica’s disadvantaged youth have limited career horizons, and few if any career goals. To change this, youth in the project were to receive 50 hours of mentoring during small group sessions in community locations. This was to include a number of topics that include the kinds of careers available and their salaries; the kinds of training needed to get those jobs; discussions with private sector speakers recruited through the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce and “Call Mohawk Valley Home,” an Oneida County effort to retain local youth; guidance from outreach officials with Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica so that youth understand the kinds of grades they need to reach college, and also the widespread availability of degree and certificate programs that are affordable under grant and loan packages that may not be part of these students’ knowledge.
Coalition building: On its own, St. Paul’s cannot achieve lasting change. Through meetings held at local churches, mosques, synagogues and community-based organizations’ offices, St. Paul’s and representatives of Oneida County Workforce Development and the One-Stop System were to help these grassroots organizations learn about the assistance available to young people through the One-Stop System.
Youth Outreach: This project will generate outreach efforts in which youth will become “ambassadors” to other youth and the community, increasing awareness of the Working Solutions System.
Youth surveys: This project allowed youth to assess the One-Stop Centers from their perspective, allowing the system to react to comments from under-served customers. St. Paul’s will facilitate discussion of these results as part of the dialogue between youth and the One-Stop System that is an essential end result of this project.
Step V: Carrying out the Initiative
The initiative had three major pieces: the St. Paul’s Project; Cornerstone Outreach and Hope House Outreach.
By their nature, the two outreach pieces were the easiest to launch. The Cornerstone effort was given a boost during 2002-2003 when the Workforce Investment Board included funding to increase its efforts to local youth as part of a Community Youth Mapping Program funded by a WIA Youth Challenge Grant from the New York State Department of Labor.
The major impediments to success were the attitude of customers (it took them a while before they would engage in dialogue with staff sent to the sites); selection of outreach staff (staff needed the ability to quickly establish a rapport with residents who approached them); and the commitment of time week after week even when other duties at the One-Stop Centers seemed to be more pressing. The investment of time was worth it.
The St. Paul’s Project was more complex to launch because it involved scheduling multiple partners, speakers, events, etc. The project successfully functioned within the $25,000 grant received from the U.S. Department of Labor, but required consistent staff support.
By the very nature of a faith-based organization, times such as Easter or Christmas will increase demands on clergy time, and reduce time available for a faith-based workforce development project. Thus, One-Stop staff were essential to keep moving forward on the project’s ambitious schedule.
The other caution for future faith-based efforts was the unwillingness of other churches and clergy to join in the effort and to engage in dialogue for future efforts. Building in those partnerships at the front end would be important to securing greater cooperation if future faith-based projects are attempted.
Step VI: Measuring and Sustaining Success
Success takes many forms. The numbers that these projects generated were a good beginning.
However, just as important was the increased communication that resulted from this effort. Some communication was through the media. An August 2002 Utica Observer-Dispatch editorial “Effort to Reconnect Youths Can Help Us All” gave the public workforce investment system a large dose of favorable publicity. As the project evolved, news media attended events that might normally not have been covered if they were held within the confines of a One-Stop Center. The continued connection between St. Paul’s and Workforce Development has clearly made the church an unofficial partner in the system, and a prime outreach site as the system develops. Although the numbers from this effort are pleasing, we believe that the long-range connection will serve us best.
In terms of data, we recorded the following:
St. Paul’s Project:
About 40 youth used St. Paul’s as the meeting place to launch an August community survey project that resulted in these young people taking information about Workforce Development programs to about 200 homes in the area of greatest poverty.
About 70 youth were contacted through a May outreach session at St. Paul’s. At this session, youth were able to apply for the Summer Youth Employment Program. It is not clear how many youth in the program were enrolled through the outreach, but the neighborhoods most served by the program were those targeted in the outreach.
Twenty youth were referred from this project to the Oneida County Workforce Development Youth Mapping Project, in which youth worked with Community Youth Mapping to identify places to go and things to do for local teens. Of those referred to the project, five served as mappers.
Twenty youth participated in a dinner/ program to discuss work skills and employment opportunities.
100 youth were contacted through street outreach to enroll them in either Project CONNECT, a program for youth who have dropped out of school, or the Junior Green Team, which provide youth with low basic skills career opportunities in the environmental field. About 30 youth who have since contacted the One-Stop System learned about the System through this outreach.
50 youth were contacted in conjunction with the One-Stop System’s Youth Mapping Project. About 10 youth contacted will participate in the project.
Regular weekly sessions are conducted with about 25 youth per week to provide intensive soft skills training, mentoring and career advice. In general, at least 20 youth attend per week.
Topics covered during three of these sessions were:
March 17: Soft Skills Training and Opened Discussion
March 19: Labor Market Information
March 26: Seven Phases of an Interview and how to dress for interview/Conduct mock interviews
On Feb. 22, 15 youth attended a Hope Chapel A.M.E. Zion Black History Month gala. Materials on faith-based outreach and Ladder to the Future were available.
On Feb. 10, a youth outreach session with about 20 youth present was featured on WUTR TV.
From Feb. 7 though Feb. 9, 20 youth attended outreach sessions in conjunction with the Hoops and Dreams project.
10 youth attended the Mohawk Valley Frontiers Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon on Jan. 15. Materials on “Ladder to the Future” were distributed in the program booklet for the event.
48 youth attended outreach events on August 27 in Rome and August 29 in Utica.
30 youth discussed career paths open to minorities after a NAACP presentation at St. Paul’s on 10/25.
29 youth attended a December 4 outreach at the Cornhill Leisure Time Activity Center.
100 youth attended a December 16 Call Mohawk Valley Home Breakfast celebration. At this event, youth were exposed to information regarding the One-Stop System. Information on Ladder to the Future was presented at this event by David Mathis, Director of Workforce Development.
Cornerstone and Hope House Outreach
Weekly outreach sessions for adults at these two locations average 10 per month during the life of this project, with the number increasing as the comfort level between residents and staff members increased. Thus, after 12 months, the effort produced 120 contacts that were referred for services. Although this did meet the goal we had set, we believe that more needs to be done. As a result of the Hope House outreach, Oneida County Workforce Development formed a partnership with the Mohawk Valley Housing Coalition Continuum of Care, resulting in the inclusion of Workforce Development in the 2003-2004 federal program year funding request. If successful, this will allow Workforce Development to expand outreach to help those who are contacted better navigate the system.
Fulfilling the goals of this project was a commitment of staff time. About 2,000 hours of staff time was committed to this project. Partners did also commit significantly, although the commitment from St. Paul’s was reduced after the April departure of Rev. Wilson for a larger church in Massachusetts.
The project did result in partnerships that remain between Workforce Development and St. Paul’s Baptist Church, Mohawk Valley Community Action, and Hope House. The Compassion Coalition, which distributes food to local pantries, is working with Workforce Development to share the kind of outreach message done at Hope House through the food pantry network. Oneida County Communities That Care remains a partner, but has undergone organizational instability (one of the drawbacks of any partnership with a community-based organization).
To sustain this progress, Oneida County Workforce Development formed a partnership with the Mohawk Valley Housing Coalition Continuum of Care, resulting in the inclusion of Workforce Development in the 2003-2004 federal program year funding request. If successful, this will allow Workforce Development to expand outreach to help those who are contacted better navigate the system. Oneida County Workforce Development has also worked to create a new partnership with the Municipal Housing Authority, which is implementing a HOPE VI grant in the area Workforce Development has been targeting. Through this partnership, Workforce Development is seeking to create outreach positions that can work in the neighborhoods full-time to build upon the increase in programs and help all customers who are referred to the system have successful outcomes.
The outreach to our youth is the biggest factor in this project’s success. Youth who are disconnected from school or work will not respond the first time, or perhaps even the 10th time, but the more we are offering programs where they live, the more they are able to drop by, ask questions, and slowly come into contact with the system on their terms – which is the only way it will happen.