Polk County Systems Change

1. Polk County Systems Change Discovering Solutions that Work for You!

2. Project Goal Develop a systematic and comprehensive, best practice driven approach to help individuals in Polk County with a diagnosed functional mental illness or learning disability who have been involved with the correctional system and have received public assistance to achieve, retain, sustain, and advance in the workforce.

3. How We Are Going To Do It? via networking and Speakers’ Bureau we will: • Update, promote, and support employers on strategies that strengthen their methods of recruiting, hiring, and retaining individuals from the identified population. • Update, promote, and support agencies on services and methods of providing services that strengthen and assist individuals from the identified population. • Develop a self-sustaining collaborative network of resources that will assist the identified population in achieving and maintaining self-sufficiency.

4. What We Look Like….

5. Community Based Corrections Child & Family Policy Center City of Des Moines Des Moines MTA Des Moines YMCA - Riverfront DMACC Drake University Eyerly-Ball Greater Des Moines Partnership House of Mercy Iowa Department of Corrections Iowa Health System Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Iowa Workforce Development Rainbow Center, Inc. Spectrum Resources Steering Committee

6. Responsibilities include… • Developing the vision of PCSC • Determining direction, guiding, and promoting the project • Advance the mission and goals through active involvement of the project’s strategies and activities • Support and encourage the project coordinator and collaboration team

7. Employers Advisory Group • Action Warehouse • American/Nuckolls Concrete Services • Crown Services • Des Moines MTA • Greater Des Moines Partnership • Iowa Health System • Keystone Electric Manufacturing • Metro Temp • MAHLE Tennex North America, Inc. • Waldinger Corporation • Weitz Company

8. Responsibilities include… • Provide employer insight to PCSC strategies and activities • Develop and promote employer focused public relations and marketing materials • Advance the mission and goals through active involvement of the project’s strategies and activities • Support and encourage the project coordinator and collaboration team

9. Resource and Speakers’ Bureau incorporates innovative professionals to address topics relating to: • Community Resources • Corrections • Integrating Diversity • Learning Disabilities • Mental Health • Mentoring • Poverty Issues • Retaining Employment • Service Delivery • Substance Abuse • Workplace Issues • Vocational Rehabilitation

10. Workshops Include… • Bridges Out of Poverty • Collaborating thru Systems Change • Creating an Inclusive Environment • Increasing Job Retention • Real Life: At the Workplace • Real Life: Resource Management • Supervising New Entry-Level Employees • Windmills: Disabilities as Diversity

11. Sustainability Polk County Systems Change maintains an extensive resource base of professional for you to call upon for solutions when you need help with employees and customers. Look for it at www.dmacc.edu in 2003!

12. Why Are We Doing This?

13. Job Seekers Said… It is hard to: • Become separated from the criminal justice system • Get Medical needs/living needs/job/expenses • Establish some degree of stability

14. Job Seekers Said… They need help with: • Knowing who to ask for services and know how it works • Critical tasks needed to start over (expunging criminal record, residency, phone, clothes for work, etc.) • Job screening and seeking skills • Resume and interviewing skills • Job keeping skills

15. Job Seekers Said… About agencies: • Payor of last resort is irritating • I trust my peers say more than what you say • I trust my peers more than you to know what is offered where • I trust people not agencies

16. Agency Staff Said… • We have a good understanding of our client's situations • We do not understand employers’ situations • We know what we do and a few other agencies, but not all • We can’t keep up with who is where, who does what, etc.

17. Agency Staff Said… • Too little money and too few resources • Some agencies seem to do more harm than good • We need a central point of contact, unified plans, and to bring agencies together around individual needs. • Gaps are between agencies during referral or failure to begin accessing services in a timely manner

18. Metro Area Employers Said… Applicants Need to Have: • Essential functions of the job for which they are applying • Soft skills

19. Metro Area Employers Said… Applicants Need to Know: • If you show positive attitude, I can suggest other openings • Be honest no matter what or I have to fire you • Dependability is tough so work out your issues before you come to work

20. Metro Area Employers Said… Applicants, during the interview: • Focus on Abilities • Do not focus on disability • Talk about skills, only bring up disability as relates to job performance, do not bring up disabilities unless necessary

21. Metro Area Employers Said… To Agencies: • Contact us to know learn about our jobs • Understand our business so you do not make wrong/bad referrals • Send people who are qualified and ready to work • Follow up or it is considered dumping • Can be resources and partners of value

22. Metro Area Employers Said… Generally Speaking: • Bad jobs and/or employers wreck your resume and keep you from getting good jobs • Good jobs require dependability, essential function skills, soft skills, proven knowledge of our business, ability to be supervised, and ability to get along with co-workers

23. Polk County Systems Change Discovering Solutions that Work for You!

24. For additional information, please contact: Sheri L. Reynolds Polk County Systems Change Coordinator Des Moines Area Community College Center for Community and Workforce Partnerships 1100 Seventh Street Des Moines, IA 50314 Voice: (515) 697-7711 Fax: (515) 697-7721 E-mail: slreynolds@dmacc.edu