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Welfare To Work Programs in Erie County
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Buffalo Urban League • Catholic Charities • Erie 1 BOCES
Erie Community College • Goodwill Industries • Horizons Health Services
Lake Shore Behavioral Health • People Inc. • Competitive Grant Services
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Buffalo Urban League
The Buffalo Urban League will provide a comprehensive educational and skills training program based on a "work-first" model to assist TANF recipients 16 years of age and older who lack high school / GED and have low reading and math levels, are teenage parents, or who have a poor or no work history.
Project ANSWER (Activities Necessary for Successful Work Experience Results) will provide a sequence of services/activities to address the needs of the program participants as follows: onsite outreach in the community; receive referrals of eligible clients; subsidized work program combined with GED / basic skills literacy, life skills and on-going comprehensive support; unsubsidized placement, mentoring, counseling, support services, basic upgrading and motivational skills, and job retention services.
BUL sites' operational hours and locations would be as follows:
- BUL Headquarters - 15 East Genesee Street - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
- BUL CAMAP - 224 Northland Ave. - 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
- BUL PALS - 728 Fillmore Ave. - 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
- BUL Multi Service Centers - 234 Jefferson Ave. - 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
- BUL AVE / RAVE - 465 Washington Street - 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
- Teenage parents (10 slots)
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Catholic Charities
Lite Program (Leading Individuals to Employment)
Catholic Charities of Buffalo will provide basic educational skills training, to include GED preparation, basic skills upgrades in reading and math, reinforced job seeking and job retention skills, and direct employment placement, for 100 hard-to-employ TANF recipients.
The program which shall to called the LITE program (Leading Individuals to Employment) will provide services at the existing WDC funded educational sites as well as at the King Urban Life Center, Most Holy Redeemer Center and a site to be determined in the Black Rock/Riverside area of Buffalo. Hours of operation will be Monday thru Friday, 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the hours being flexible to accommodate the work first component.
In capitalizing on the successes of Catholic Charities' Manpower Division, the LITE program will capitalize on the same individualized concepts: use of job banks, employer contacts in the community and reinforced job retention instructions, to serve this population.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
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Erie 1 BOCES
Lodging Operations and Food Retailing Training
Erie #1 BOCES will operate skills training programs, in Lodging Operations and Food Retailing, for TANF recipients who are hard-to-employ.
The Lodging Program has received support from the Holiday Inn, Hyatt Regency, Adam's Mark, Sheraton Inn and Buffalo/Niagara Marriott hotels. Possible employment opportunities through Lodging are: reservation clerk, housekeeping, waiter/waitress, cleaner, dinning room and bartender helper and host/hostess. Wegman's will play a key role in the Food Retailing Training. Employment opportunities expected in this field are: maintenance clerk, cashier, produce clerk, baking clerk, deli clerk and merchandise clerk.
Training will take place at the Most Holy Redeemer school as well as BOCES' three career centers: the Harkness Center, Kenton Center and the Potter Road Center. Training will be individualized, scheduled around the individuals' work schedule.
Through this program, other barriers will also be addressed. Educational deficiencies, lack of workforce skills, lack of motivation and lack of coping skills will be covered through the course of the programs.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non-custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
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Erie County Community College
Skill Enhancement Training / Customer Service
Erie Community College will operate the Skill Enhancement Training (SET) Program, to include customer service training and workplace training, for 60 hard-to-employ TANF recipients over 4 cycles of training. Each cycle of training will include 120 hours of training, scheduled around the recipients' work schedule. The last 30 hours of the program will be WorkKeys based. WorkKeys utilizes the national occupational standards tests prepared for Customer Services Representatives to individually assess the student on various training levels.
Training will take place at the Advanced Training Center located at 275 Oak Street.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non-custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
- Limited communication and soft skills
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Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries is offering a "work-first" education, training, employment and retention program for Welfare-to-Work eligible TANF recipients with emphasis on individuals with disabilities. The "Training Wheels" program is an adjunct to employment and is designed to be taught concurrently with paid work activities. It is a three level training approach to career preparation. Level I activities include basic skills training in literacy and math, activities of daily living / independent living and workplace literacy; Level II includes training in essential social, behavioral, motivation and attitude skills, use of community resources, citizenship, critical thinking, self presentation, communication, leisure, life skills and family relationships; Level III training includes employment skills and job search training with the ultimate goal of placement into unsubsidized employment with one year retention, support and up- grading.
The "Training Wheels" program will provide one-hundred individuals classroom training of thirty (30) hours taught over fifteen (15) days.
The program will be taught at Goodwill's Corporate location at 1119 William Street. There is NFTA transportation directly across from the site.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
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Horizons Health Services
The Horizon Health Services Vocational Program proposes to provide vocational assessment, job readiness, job placement, case management and job retention support services to persons who are in need of substance abuse treatment.
The program will enroll TANF recipients and/or non custodial parents who qualify.
Services will be provided at 3020 Bailey Avenue, Buffalo, which is their primary location for vocational training. Additionally, Horizon operates six (6) other facilities in the City of Buffalo and Town of Tonawanda that could be utilized for part-time programming if required. Services will be offered Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Evening hours will be provided consistent with need.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents who are in need of substance abuse treatment for employment AND
- Either no High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below) OR A poor work history
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Lake Shore Behavioral Health
Project Realize is a collaborative effort of community agencies to provide substance abuse treatment, job placement, and vocational and personal support for hard-to-employ recipients of TANF, or non-custodial parents of minor children whose custodial parent qualify, and who require substance abuse treatment to attain employment. The collaborative agencies include: Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Buffalo Urban League, Inc., Native American Community Service, Inc., United Cerebral Palsy Association of WNY, and YWCA of WNY. Each agency brings the project knowledge, community access and a range of programs and services, and experience with the targeted group.
Project Realize will offer TANF participants employment opportunities and independence by providing them with the tools and assistance needed. Once their eligibility is certified, participants will be placed in substance abuse treatment (if they are not already in treatment) and will work with job advocates and other staff to thoroughly assess their vocational abilities, interest and goals.
In this "work-first" project, participants will then be placed in employment best suited to their interests and abilities. Clients will be placed in unsubsidized or subsidized employment or an on-the-job training placement, based on an individualized employment plan.
Employment Specialists will assist participants with job readiness activities and job placement services, and will perform job coaching for employed individuals. Job Advocates will assist in resolving barriers to employment such as child care, transportation, phone services and any life area that interrupts employment. Job Advocates will address issues that the participant experiences in adapting to the new work environment, including work attitudes, proper attire, supervisory relations, etc. Project Realize participants will have access to a wide range of support services, provided by the collaborating agencies and other agencies who work closely with the collaborators. Services to be provided include child care, transportation, health services (including education and assistance in using available resources), non-medical substance abuse treatment services, GED preparation/education, training in computer applications, English-as-a-Second Language education, parenting education and support, housing assistance, financial management assistance, and legal assistance.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents who are in need of substance abuse treatment for employment AND
- Either no High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below) OR A poor work history
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People Inc.
Niagara Frontier Vocational Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
Suburban Adult Services, Inc.
People, Inc., 1219 North Forest Road, Williamsville, the Niagara Frontier Vocational Rehabilitation Center, Inc., 100 Leroy Avenue in Buffalo and Suburban Adult Services, Inc., 950 Union Road (and various other suburban and city locations), have developed a comprehensive program that draws on their collective strengths as experienced Human Services providers with an established network system. The E.A.R.N. Program (Employment and Retention Network) will provide an educational and vocational model designed to link individuals (in coordination with WDC / ECDSS) to supportive services as necessary, including basic education, occupational skills, ESL, appropriate support services and vocational skills training in four areas: Home Health Care / Personal Care Aide training, Food Service training, Human Services training and Janitorial Service training. The program will provide services to 150 TANF Welfare-to-Work eligible recipients and/or non-custodial parents.
The location of the program will be at three different locations in the city.
People, Inc. will provide Home Health Care/Personal Care Aide training at 2128 Elmwood Ave. NFVRC will provide Food Service training and janitorial training at 100 Leroy Ave.
People, Inc., and Suburban Adult Services will provide Human Service training at various sites of the three agencies as space is needed.
Enrollment Criteria
- TANF recipients or eligible non custodial parents.
- No High School Diploma or GED and low reading and math skills (8.9 or below)
- Poor work history
- At least 18 years of age.
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Competitive Grant Services
Program services will include case management; functional vocational assessment; intensive job readiness training; community service; individualized job development; matching and placement; development of employer awareness; subsidized employment activity; job coaching; basic education and general education services; GED instruction; English as a Second Language (ESL Classes); occupational training; life skills training; transportation; child care assistance; structured work opportunity program; on-site job coaching services; drug testing and monitoring services; assessment and referral services to appropriate level of care; clothing bank and an Employer Advisory Committee (EAC).
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