City of Los Angeles Reentry Employment Demonstration Project

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City of Los AngelesRe-entry Employment
Demonstration Project

• Forging the Right Partnerships to Create
  Successful Reentry Employment

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HISTORY DESCRIPTIONOF THE COLLABORATIVE
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Goals of the Collaborative

• Provide a broad base of integrated services to
  ex-felons returning from State of California
  correctional facilities.
• Builds the necessary collaboration to break the
  cycle of recidivism
• Create a sustainable and replicable employment
  model

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Collaborative Members

• City of Los Angeles Community Development
• Department-Workforce Development Division
• Special Service for Groups
• United Auto Workers Labor Employment and Training
• Center (UAW/LETC)
• Ex-Offender Network/Los Angeles Metropolitan
  Churches
• Friends Outside Los Angeles County

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Workforce Development System South Los Angeles

• Southeast LA-Crenshaw WorkSource Center
• South LA WorkSource Center
• South LA-Watts WorkSource Center
• West Adams-Baldwin Hills WorkSource Center

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The Re-entry Employment Options Project

• Links the main stream employment service delivery
  system with the State Corrections and
  Rehabilitation
• Integrates services and improves access for
  participants
• Build on strengths resources of each
  collaborative partner for collective power and
  successful outcomes

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REEOP Organization Chart
City of Los Angeles
Community Development Department
Workforce Development Division
Special Service for Groups
United Auto Workers LETC
Case Management
Employment Services
Pre-employment
Placement
Support Services
Retention Services
Ex-Offender Network
South Los Angeles
West Adams-Baldwin Hills
Case Management
WorkSource Center
WorkSource Center
Community Resources
Placement/ Retention Services
Placement/ Retention Services
Friends Outside Los Angeles County
Southeast LA Watts
Pre-Employment Work Shops
WorkSource Center
Community Resources
Placement/Retention Services
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CONTEXT OF COLLABORATIVE

• South Los Angeles
• A Snapshot

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Map of South Los Angeles
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Demographic Info South Los Angeles

• Population
• City of Los Angeles total population 3,694,820
• South Los Angeles population 687,984 people
• 25 of City of Los Angeles total population
  concentrated in 44.7 miles
• South Los Angeles Annual Average
• 25,303 per household
• Race/Ethnicity
• Latino 57
• African-American 37
• Caucasian 2
• Asian Pacific Islander 2

From LA County of Public Health SPA 6 2007
Health Assessment.
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State of South LA

• 43 of persons 25 years and older in South LA do
  not have a high school diploma,
• The poverty rate in South LA is twice that of LA
  County as a whole (30 vs. 15 in 2006)
• The ratio of jobs to workers is twice as low for
  South LA as it is for LA County as a whole (.5
  jobs per worker for South LA compared to 1.1 jobs
  per worker for LA County as a whole)
• From 1996-2006, the violent crime rate for both
  South LA and LA County as a whole fell by half
  however, South LA still has more than twice the
  violent crime rate (per 1,000) than LA County as
  a whole (14.7 per 1,000 vs. 6.3 per 1,000)
• From The State of South LA
• UCLA School of Public Affairs, August 2008

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Key Statistics on Ex-Felons in South Los Angeles

• As of August 2008, The County of Los Angeles has
  approximately 32,000 parolees
• Male parolees approximately 29,000
• Female parolees approximately 4,000
• Over 25 of all County parolees are released to
  the
• City of Los Angeles (8,000)
• 40 of those released to City of Los Angeles zip
  codes
• return to South Los Angeles

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Re-entry Employment Options Project
Program Participants, Philosophy Services
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Who are we serving?

• 18 years and up
• Minimum of 20 females
• Homeless Parolees
• Parolees with drug related offenses or homeless
  at the time of arrest
• Parolees released to South Los Angeles

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Collaborative Supportive Services

• Pre-release case management
• Intensive Case Management
• Individualized Service Plan
• Supportive Services
• Substance Abuse Mental Health Services
• Culturally Competent Job Readiness Training

• Legal Education
• Financial Literacy
• Peer Support and Mentoring
• Employment Services
• Housing Assistance and Referrals

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Employment Services

• Comprehensive Skills Assessment
• Individualized Employment Plan
• Vocation Training or GED/HS Diploma

• On the Job Training
• Transitional Employment
• Job Placement
• Retention Services

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Evaluation/Assessment

• Program Evaluation
• Built into Program Design
• Project Director responsibility
• Westat Research
• employment outcomes
• impact on recidivism
• collaboration

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THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
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Why Collaborate?

• Shared Resources
• Bringing together knowledge, experience and
  services
• Effective and efficient program delivery
• Improved communication
• Elimination or reduction of duplication
• Increased use of programs
• Improved public image
• Better needs and assets assessments
• More consistency in information
• New ideas
• Learn from each other

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Potential Struggles

• We all know that working together can be tough
  sometimes. It is important to discuss and
  recognize challenges in working together.
• Different beliefs, philosophies
• Mistrust
• Personality conflicts
• Sharing power
• Turf protection
• Lack of communication
• Negative past experience
• Time consuming decisions
• Participation not equal
• Limited resources
• Agreeing on policy positions

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Our Definition of Collaboration

• A process of engaging with two or more
  organizations for a common goal
• Encourage and empower people to work together
  towards integration
• Develop a sphere of influence or interest through
  a multi-dimensional approach

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Six Key Areas to Consider in Building Successful
Collaboration

• Communication
• Environment
• Purpose
• Membership
• Process/Structure
• Resources

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Collaboration What makes it Work?

• Common Vision and Relationships
• Clear Structure Defined Responsibilities
• Communication, Communication, Communication
• Leadership

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Collaboration What makes it Work?, cont.

• Resources and Rewards
• Commitment
• Trust and Transparency
• Cooperation, Coordination and Collaboration

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Remember..

• Partnership is a process, not a product. Its
  constantly changing
• It takes time to develop
• It can be complex and challenging
• Patience and tolerance are important
• Relationships happen between people, not
  institutions
• Collaboration can be highly rewarding and results
  can be achieved that no one entity could achieve
  alone!

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Program Results

• Enrolled 171 clients
• 43 successful program completions
• 76 placements at 9.63/per hour
• 10 individuals successfully completed parole

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Recognizing the Value of Partnering

• At the end of the REEOP funding, partners
  recognized the benefit of continued partnership.
  Without continued funding, the collaborative
  partners agreed to provide participants with the
  following
• SSG continued referral for substance abuse
  treatment mental health services
• WorkSource California - employment services,
  entrepreneurial training skills upgrade
• Friends Outside Los Angeles County referral to
  community supports and placement services
• Ex-Offender Network- support groups, community
  resources

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Additional Accomplishments to Date

• Effective working relationship and extraordinary
  level of commitment over the past 29 months
• Developed an integrated service model that links
  the One-Stop system with community supports
• Developed a working relationship with the prisons
  and regional, local parole offices
• Development of a four-module certification
  program for agencies providing employment
  services to ex-felons which will be available in
  December 2009.

• Identified ARRA Funding to provide transitional
  employment
• for ex-felons through the One-Stop system.
• Pre-employment workshop will substitute for GR
  job club
• Linked the hiring of ex-offenders to many of the
  special initiatives such as Construction, NEG,
  Green Technologies.
• Additional funds earmarked for New Start Program
  for PY 09-10

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Re-entry Employment Options Project

• Money, Money, Money-
• Funding, Sustainability the Future

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The Quest for Funding

• California New Start Program
• New funding provided through Governors
  Discretionary funds to provide employment
  services to ex-felons referred by parole
• 534,204 for PY08-10 with additional funds
  anticipated in January 2010 for PY 09-10

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Other Potential Funding Streams

• Other Possible Sources
• Department of Justice Second Chance Grants
• Community Block Grant Funds (CDBG)
• Food Stamp Employment and Training funds
• Private grants
• Providing employment services as a partner in
  other grant applications such as the Rapid
  Re-housing ARRA funds, SAMSA,HUD

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Contact Information

• Susan Quigley- City of Los Angeles
• [phone] or Susan.Quigley_at_lacity.org
• Veronica Lewis- Special Service for Groups
• [phone] or vlewis_at_ssgmain.org
• Angie Hill- West Adams/Baldwin Hills WorkSource
  Center
• [phone] or Angela.Hill_at_laul.org