Empowerment Program
Employment Program
The employment program is an opportunity for clients to become connected to the skills and training needed to obtain Employment and maintain that employment long-term. The goals for the Employment Program are to: Obtain Employment, Sustain Employment for 90 days, Maintain Employment for six months plus reach personal goals, and 12 months Follow Up/Check-ins. Through either a professional development plan one-on-one or through a class style setting, individuals can start the process of reaching the above goals while also building skill sets necessary for their jobs. The employment programs ensure the client has all the tools and resources necessary to not only survive but to thrive in life. The main goal is for clients to stop living paycheck to paycheck and become more empowered by helping themselves. Nashville CARES aims to help clients gain necessary work skills and improve upon time/money management in a realistic approach accessible to all demographics. The hope is to reduce the risk of financial instability if proper long-term Employment is obtained, and clients feel empowered to sustain their standard of living.
Through the employment program, clients will develop a sense of self-sufficiency and independence. The employment program manager sits down with individuals creating a client’s definition of success. Clients begin to work on their resume-building skills, interviewing preparation, and how to deal with employment rejection. Lessons will include how to survive a new job in the first 90 days and how to develop networking skills. Clients can work with the Employment Program Manager by contacting their primary case manager to start the application process. The Employment Program manager is available every Thursday from 10-2 pm for drop-in assistance.
Unhoused Services
Employment is not the only barrier to a client’s life. While Nashville has become a hub of transformation and growth, many of our residents are not able to take part in those benefits. Due to the ever-increasing cost of living, more and more Nashvillians are becoming homeless at an alarming rate. The rapid rehousing (RRH.) program has been instrumental in taking people directly from the streets, shelters, and encampments and placing them into short-term housing while working with these individuals on securing permanent housing placement. The purpose of the program is to house the HUD. defined homeless clients of Davidson County and assist them in obtaining permanent housing. While this program has good intentions, the process can be long and is only an option for those who are referred through Coordinated Entry.
A client can start this process by having their case manager send a referral over to the housing team. The referral will be presented to the Associate Director, who will then contact the client to complete a housing assessment. The Housing Assessment will be used to assess the severity of the client’s situation and presented to the Empowerment Team during the weekly client staffing. The team will decide where to place the client on a priority list. When a spot opens on the Unhoused Case Manager’s caseload, the client will be taken off the priority list and added to their caseload. The client will then work directly with the Unhoused Case Manager. Through intensive case management, a client will speak with the housing case manager weekly and have home visits bi-weekly.
Each eligible client will be entered into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This is the system that refers clients to the RRH program as well as the mainstream housing voucher program. Once the client has been housed for about 30 days, they will move on to the housing retention case manager and stay with that program for six months to a year. The housing program hopes to ensure that clients who have obtained housing can maintain long-term housing. Sometimes housing maintenance looks like more than just being able to pay your bills on time
Independent Life Skill Classes
We recognize that accessing and maintaining affordable housing is a crucial part of care services. The Independent Life Skills Classes are the next step in those services. Sometimes when a client is newly housed after being homeless for so long, life skills are necessary to maintain their housing. Often there is just the desire to become more independent, and that is possible through a set of classes that will teach life skills lessons that promote the overall well-being of an individual client. Life skill classes are held weekly by the associate director in person at Nashville CARES Class topics include but are not limited to recognizing household hazards, living well with HIV, clean living, financial health, food health, utilizing self, and knowing your housing rights. The list of coursework is not all-inclusive. If there are other areas clients are struggling with, the Empowerment team would be happy to add information to help clients get the information and skills needed to feel independent.
Empowerment Series
The Empowerment team has started a “Surviving to Thriving” workshop series. The workshop is a bimonthly meeting where Clients, as well as staff, attend training with topics about Employment, Housing, Health, Finances, and Community Connections. The Empowerment Team has worked tirelessly in reaching out to partnering agencies and community-based businesses to come and facilitate these workshops. This allows clients to be connected to outside resources, get questions answered directly, as well as build community amongst other clients. Each event will encompass one of the five topics; those who attend will be given a small gift, and lunch will be provided. The series is held from 11-1 pm the first Thursday of every other month. Because lunches are provided, we ask clients to rsvp so that their lunch will be provided. However, walk-ins are welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided based on availability.
The goal of the Empowerment Program is to work with clients to establish an individualized plan that will lead to maintaining housing, mental and physical stability, financial stability, and ultimately self-sufficiency. Come and work with us by contacting your case manager today as you go from surviving to thriving through your empowerment.
Employment Program
The employment program is an opportunity for clients to become connected to the skills and training needed to obtain Employment and maintain that employment long-term. The goals for the Employment Program are to: Obtain Employment, Sustain Employment for 90 days, Maintain Employment for six months plus reach personal goals, and 12 months Follow Up/Check-ins. Through either a professional development plan one-on-one or through a class style setting, individuals can start the process of reaching the above goals while also building skill sets necessary for their jobs. The employment programs ensure the client has all the tools and resources necessary to not only survive but to thrive in life. The main goal is for clients to stop living paycheck to paycheck and become more empowered by helping themselves. Nashville CARES aims to help clients gain necessary work skills and improve upon time/money management in a realistic approach accessible to all demographics. The hope is to reduce the risk of financial instability if proper long-term Employment is obtained, and clients feel empowered to sustain their standard of living.
Through the employment program, clients will develop a sense of self-sufficiency and independence. The employment program manager sits down with individuals creating a client’s definition of success. Clients begin to work on their resume-building skills, interviewing preparation, and how to deal with employment rejection. Lessons will include how to survive a new job in the first 90 days and how to develop networking skills. Clients can work with the Employment Program Manager by contacting their primary case manager to start the application process. The Employment Program manager is available every Thursday from 10-2 pm for drop-in assistance.
Unhoused Services
Employment is not the only barrier to a client’s life. While Nashville has become a hub of transformation and growth, many of our residents are not able to take part in those benefits. Due to the ever-increasing cost of living, more and more Nashvillians are becoming homeless at an alarming rate. The rapid rehousing (RRH.) program has been instrumental in taking people directly from the streets, shelters, and encampments and placing them into short-term housing while working with these individuals on securing permanent housing placement. The purpose of the program is to house the HUD. defined homeless clients of Davidson County and assist them in obtaining permanent housing. While this program has good intentions, the process can be long and is only an option for those who are referred through Coordinated Entry.
A client can start this process by having their case manager send a referral over to the housing team. The referral will be presented to the Associate Director, who will then contact the client to complete a housing assessment. The Housing Assessment will be used to assess the severity of the client’s situation and presented to the Empowerment Team during the weekly client staffing. The team will decide where to place the client on a priority list. When a spot opens on the Unhoused Case Manager’s caseload, the client will be taken off the priority list and added to their caseload. The client will then work directly with the Unhoused Case Manager. Through intensive case management, a client will speak with the housing case manager weekly and have home visits bi-weekly.
Each eligible client will be entered into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This is the system that refers clients to the RRH program as well as the mainstream housing voucher program. Once the client has been housed for about 30 days, they will move on to the housing retention case manager and stay with that program for six months to a year. The housing program hopes to ensure that clients who have obtained housing can maintain long-term housing. Sometimes housing maintenance looks like more than just being able to pay your bills on time
Independent Life Skill Classes
We recognize that accessing and maintaining affordable housing is a crucial part of care services. The Independent Life Skills Classes are the next step in those services. Sometimes when a client is newly housed after being homeless for so long, life skills are necessary to maintain their housing. Often there is just the desire to become more independent, and that is possible through a set of classes that will teach life skills lessons that promote the overall well-being of an individual client. Life skill classes are held weekly by the associate director in person at Nashville CARES Class topics include but are not limited to recognizing household hazards, living well with HIV, clean living, financial health, food health, utilizing self, and knowing your housing rights. The list of coursework is not all-inclusive. If there are other areas clients are struggling with, the Empowerment team would be happy to add information to help clients get the information and skills needed to feel independent.
Empowerment Series
The Empowerment team has started a “Surviving to Thriving” workshop series. The workshop is a bimonthly meeting where Clients, as well as staff, attend training with topics about Employment, Housing, Health, Finances, and Community Connections. The Empowerment Team has worked tirelessly in reaching out to partnering agencies and community-based businesses to come and facilitate these workshops. This allows clients to be connected to outside resources, get questions answered directly, as well as build community amongst other clients. Each event will encompass one of the five topics; those who attend will be given a small gift, and lunch will be provided. The series is held from 11-1 pm the first Thursday of every other month. Because lunches are provided, we ask clients to rsvp so that their lunch will be provided. However, walk-ins are welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided based on availability.
The goal of the Empowerment Program is to work with clients to establish an individualized plan that will lead to maintaining housing, mental and physical stability, financial stability, and ultimately self-sufficiency. Come and work with us by contacting your case manager today as you go from surviving to thriving through your empowerment.