Corporation for Supportive Housing Announces Grants to Bolster Employment Opportunities for Formerly Homeless Individuals
MetLife Foundation Provides $300,000 for National Initiative
Corporation for Supportive Housing unveils an innovative program, Allies for Employment, funded by MetLife Foundation, which will establish strong partnerships between organizations that provide housing for the formerly homeless and local workforce agencies.
Through the MetLife Foundation Allies for Employment initiative, CSH will provide five planning grants nationwide to establish cooperative partnerships between housing providers and related organizations and local workforce agencies. These partnerships are designed to enhance employment services and expand employment opportunities for tenants who were once homeless but now live in permanent, stable housing and receive myriad life-enhancing services.
“Supportive housing provides the foundation to help formerly homeless individuals obtain employment,” said Deborah De Santis, President and CEO of CSH. “We are excited to partner with the MetLife Foundation on an important initiative that will affirmatively demonstrate how - rather than can - people with a history of homelessness and disability get back into the workforce.”
The Allies for Employment grants will support the development of cross-agency coordination and training, employer outreach, and targeted service strategies that are essential to successfully serving formerly homeless individuals through the public workforce system. While building their programs, the grant recipients will be able to draw upon CSH’s new resource: the Toolkit for Connecting Supportive Housing Tenants to Employment, also made possible through the support of MetLife Foundation.
“Employment is vital to building healthy communities and helping individuals achieve greater self-sufficiency,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to support this new initiative which will enhance employment services and opportunities for the formerly homeless, helping them become contributing members of the workforce and their communities.”
According to CSH, the collaborative programs established with this grant will help employers looking for new employees to both recognize the potential of and utilize this often overlooked population of capable individuals who have successfully transitioned from homeless to housed.
“Mainstream workforce programs, known as one-stop careers centers, exist in nearly every community nationwide and make services and resources available to everyone,” said Erin Healy, Senior Program Manager at CSH. “Unfortunately, for the formerly homeless who face multiple barriers to employment, this concept of ‘universal access’ has generally translated into limited and ineffective access. Even with the best of intentions, mainstream workforce agencies are often not prepared to work with individuals who have many perceived or actual barriers to employment.”
The necessary planning process spurred by these grants will go a long way toward eliminating the historical disconnect between housing and workforce providers, correcting misconceptions about the employment potential of persons who have experienced homelessness, and, most importantly, making sure that individuals are given opportunities to find jobs and advance their career goals.
“The tenants of supportive housing have largely remained an untapped workforce, often in spite of a desire to reconnect to work, reengage with their community, and make strides towards greater self sufficiency.” Healy noted. “Better collaboration between the housing and workforce systems will benefit everyone involved: tenants who want jobs, employers who need a stable labor force, and workforce agencies that want to deliver more effective services.”
Allies for Employment grants have been awarded for the following five partnerships:
Bridges to Housing Collaborative
Lead Applicant: The Neighborhood Partnership Fund
Project Location: Portland, Oregon
Minneapolis Housing and Workforce Initiative
Lead Applicant: Project for Pride in Living
Project Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Property Management Career Pathway Program
Lead Applicant: Career Resources
Project Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Specialized One Stop Employment Center
Lead Applicant: Miami Valley Housing Opportunities (MVHO)
Project Location: Dayton, Ohio
Supportive Housing Employment Collaborative
Lead Applicant: Community Housing Partnership (CHP)
Project Location: San Francisco, California
Contact: Stephanie Harms at CSH, 612-721-3700, ext. 123; stephanie.harms@csh.org
About Corporation for Supportive Housing
Founded in 1991, CSH provides the advocacy, expertise, leadership, and financial resources to make it easier to for local communities to create and operate supportive housing, which is permanent housing linked to services that prevent and end the cycle of homelessness. Learn more about how we fight homelessness at www.csh.org.
About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants support health, education, civic and cultural programs. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
