Discovering Solutions that Work for You!

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Polk County Systems Change

• Discovering Solutions that Work for You!

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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.
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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.

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What We Look Like.
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Steering Committee

• 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

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Responsibilities include

• Developing the vision of PCSC
• Determining direction, guiding, and promoting the
  project
• Advance the mission and goals through active
  involvement of the projects strategies and
  activities
• Support and encourage the project coordinator and
  collaboration team

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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

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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 projects strategies and
  activities
• Support and encourage the project coordinator and
  collaboration team

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Resource and Speakers Bureau
incorporates innovative professionals to address
topics relating to

• Poverty Issues
• Retaining Employment
• Service Delivery
• Substance Abuse
• Workplace Issues
• Vocational Rehabilitation

• Community Resources
• Corrections
• Integrating Diversity
• Learning Disabilities
• Mental Health
• Mentoring

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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

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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!

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Why Are We Doing This?
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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

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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

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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

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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 cant keep up with who is where, who does
  what, etc.

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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

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Metro Area Employers Said

• Applicants Need to Have
• Essential functions of the job for which they are
  applying
• Soft skills

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Polk County Systems Change

• Discovering Solutions that Work for You!

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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 [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail slreynolds_at_dmacc.edu