City of Las Vegas Transitional JobsEVOLVE Programs

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City of Las Vegas Transitional Jobs/EVOLVE
Programs
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Goal

• Help people help themselves by assisting those
  who can work, find and maintain meaningful
  employment.

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Background

• In 2002 the Las Vegas Mayor and City Council
  issued a directive to the Neighborhood Services
  Department to create a specialized program that
  would address the employment and training needs
  of ex-offenders. With the help of a direct grant
  in the amount of 500k from the Department of
  Labor, and another grant in the amount of 450k
  from the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment
  Board, the City of Las Vegas department of
  Neighborhood Services created the EVOLVE
  (Educational Vocational Opportunities Leading to
  Valuable Experiences) workforce development
  center.

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Our Programs

• Although initially created to provide services
  to ex-offenders, the Mayor and Council saw the
  need to expand the services to other
  hard-to-serve populations. The center is now
  responsible for operating other specialized
  programs to include an Emergency Housing
  Assistance Program (EHAP), a Chronic Inebriate
  Program (CIP), Women In Transition (WIT),
  Transitional Jobs Program (TJP), and an Adult
  Education/GED Program, which is done in
  conjunction with the Clark County School
  Districts Department of Adult Education.

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Transitional Jobs Program Component

• The City of Las Vegas TJP runs Monday-Thursday
  (mornings), with the afternoons being free for
  legal matters, or educational programming.
  Participants are paid a training wage of 8.00
  per hour, 30 hrs per week, and may work up to 12
  weeks. All are required to attend weekly
  employability or life skills workshop held each
  Friday.

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Required Workshops

• Transitional jobs participants are required to
  attend a series of workshops related to
  employment. Workshop topics include
• Job Club
• Completing a Computer Application
• Employability Skills
• Life Skills Enrichment
• Image Management
• Planning for Success
• Professional Practice and
• Basic Financial Management

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Supportive Services

• Employment Preparation/Employment Development
• Job referrals at the 8th week, clients begin
  receiving job referrals
• Training (in partnership with the SNWIB/Nevada
  Job Connect)
• Housing Assistance- on a case by case basis and
  up to 3 months.
• Tools Allowance in support of employment or
  training activities

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Supportive Services Continued..

• Clothing needed for interviews or to maintain
  employment
• Uniform Assistance in support of employment or
  training activities
• Child Care in support of work or training
• Transportation Assistance bus passes/tokens are
  provided in support of job searches, training
  activities, or if needed to maintain employment
• Grooming this support is provided to
  participants who are preparing for their TJP or
  have completed their TJP and are preparing for
  interviews.

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Challenges
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Simple/Complex Challenges

• Simple - Securing Photo Identification, Social
  Security Cards, Birth Certificates, etc.
• Simple - Developing worksites and selling the
  program and population to employer partners.
• Complex Navigating Local Government red tape
• Complex Trying to convince other City
  Departments to buy into the concept of TJP

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Lessons Learned

• Partnerships both internal and external are key
  to implementation and program success.
• Be prepared to address underlying issues that
  have nothing to do with TJP. (example substance
  abuse issues amongst participants)

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Where are we now?

• The program begin July of 2006, and we've had
• A total of 15 in the program.
• 9 have completed
• 7 are currently working in unsubsidized
  employment
• 2 are currently working with Job Developers to
  secure unsubsidized employment.

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QUESTIONS???
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Cedric G. Cole Neighborhood Initiatives
Supervisor [phone]ccole_at_lasvegasnevada.go
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