Thursday, March 30, 2023
3/30/2023
LifeWorks- Supported Employment for Recently Housed Transition-Age Youth will utilize an evidence-based supported employment model, Individual Placement and Support (IPS), and Community-Based Counseling (CBC) to help 420 unduplicated 16-25-year old youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) overcome barriers to obtaining and retaining employment during this 5-year project. In Fiscal Year 2018, LifeWorks served 4,674 youth ages 16-26 with counseling, workforce, education, and housing services. Of the 97 youth served in workforce, 50% were male, 46% were female, and 1% were transgender. Racial and ethnic identities were 41% Caucasian, 40% Hispanic, 29% African American, 4% mixed race, and 14% other. The majority reported very low socioeconomic status - (96%) earned less than 200% of the Federal Income Poverty Level. Nonprofit agencies in the City of Austin and Travis County have come together in a community movement to end homelessness for transition-age youth (TAY). The success of this effort is dependent on increasing no barrier, mental health centered employment access and expanding community-wide IPS knowledge, support and capacity. LifeWorks is currently the only agency within the coalition providing TAY with IPS supported employment at fidelity, which has demonstrated an increase in sustained employment. The model focuses on each person’s strengths and interests and offers a range of supports tailored to the individual, including resume writing, job search and application assistance, interview coaching, assistance with transportation and work clothes, job shadowing; and ongoing communication with employers. Additionally, CBC counselors utilize the evidence-informed model, Integrated Treatment for Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT-A). ITCT-A is a multi-model therapeutic approach that is associated with reduced mental health symptoms among youth with histories of trauma. Project goals include: #1 Improve competitive employment outcomes for TAY with serious emotional disturbance in our community; #2 Increase the capacity to implement and sustain integrated supports in the Austin community for TAY with serious emotional disturbance; #3 Promote recovery and mental health stability among TAY with serious emotional disturbance in the Austin community; and #4 Promote housing stability among TAY with serious emotional disturbance in our community. The project has five objectives, including: training community professionals on IPS, connecting TAY in need of mental health services to the appropriate resources, and reducing the returns to homelessness among TAY youth. The agency will leverage decades of experience providing employment and mental health services to youth, licensed clinical staff, existing partnerships with other community providers, and evidence-based practices. LifeWorks is uniquely positioned to deliver quality services that will have a lasting impact on transition-age youth needing supported employment services.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
