November 22, 2004
AHC Partners to Initiate HomeWork Demonstration Project
In late 2003, the Office of Disability Employment Policy and its partners within the Department of Labor (DOL), in cooperation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), made funding available to support new innovative projects that would aim to increase and improve employment opportunities for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities through a local partnership with HUD housing providers. The aim of these demonstration projects would be to begin or expand the delivery and implementation of "customized employment" strategies for homeless individuals with disabilities so that they may live, work, and fully participate in their communities.
In 2004, the Boston Private Industry Council (BPIC) was awarded funding and began organizing a coalition of local organizations from the housing, disability, employment, and veteran communities in a combined effort named the HomeWork Project. HomeWork provides permanent housing services with customized employment services intended to end the cycle of chronic homelessness for those individuals it serves in the Boston community.
The award included $622,912 for 40 slots of employment and supportive services during the first year. A separate grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is in place to provide $201,564 per year or $1,007,820 over five years for 20 new Shelter Plus Care rental subsidies. The connection to housing will be provided by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Action for Boston Community Development and the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership. Victory Programs Incorporated (VPI), Community Work Services, New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, and Bay Cove- Center House are the lead case management sites. These community-based organizations provide initial screening, and a combination of life stability support, soft skills training to help with adjustment to housing, soft skills training for employment, initial supported employment, supervision on the job, and employment support to improve retention. Other important partners in this effort include the Massachusetts Division of Career Services, Commonwealth Corporation, Justice Resource Institute, the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development and AIDS Housing Corporation.
Through this extensive collaboration, the HomeWork Project is working to bring together housing and employment services to assist 40 disabled chronically homeless individuals achieve employment, permanent housing and self-sufficiency using a customized employment and supportive services model. This effort will increase connections and capabilities of the One-Stop Career Centers and of other service systems to better serve persons with disabilities who are chronically homeless.
AHC was part of the original planning group and with the participation of Victory Programs ensures that people living with HIV disease will gain access to these new housing units and services. The partnership of AHC and VPI in the HomeWork Project also provides an opportunity for the AIDS services community to increase networking access into the employment training arena that serves the chronically homeless around Boston.
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