Building Consumer Owned an Operated Businesses

1
Building Consumer Owned an Operated Businesses
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The Opportunity

• Sacramento County Department of Mental Health
  provided additional one time and time limited
  funding.
• Goal
• To develop a creative and innovative consumer
  owned and operated business and have the business
  be self-sustaining within two years.

3
Strengths of Programs

• Established history as AB34 programs with
  providing supportive employment
• Dedicated employment leaders who support/assist
  members with
• Employment Preparation
• Job Development
• Job Retention

4
Employment Preparation

• Develop vocational goals
• Interview skills
• Employment resources
• Skills statements

• Resumes
• Master Applications
• Dress to Impress
• Benefits counseling

5
Job Development

• Research community finding employment
  opportunities that match interest and job skills
• Support / encouragement
• Meet with perspective employees
• Job coaching

• Assist with application
• Practice interviews
• Providing open group for members to come in talk
  about employment

6
Job Retention

• Support group
• Task Analysis
• Assist with developing stress management skills
• Assist with vocational training

• Assistances with increasing social support
• Transportation training
• Being creative and finding jobs that match
  members interest.

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Questions

• What type of work would members like?
• What are the barriers our members experience
  when wanting to return to work?
• How do we make this new business self-sustaining
  in two years?
• What does consumer owned really mean?

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Question OnePossibilities

• Lawn service
• Bicycle taxi service
• Hot dog street venders
• Dry cleaning delivery services
• Thrift store
• Purchasing a franchise
• Thrift store
• eBay online auction

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Question twoWhat are the barriers?

• Non supportive environment
• work schedules
• Concerns over how working will impact benefits
  (SSI/SSDI)
• Transportation

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Identified barriers

• Concerns regarding the impact on benefits
• Transportation
• Schedules
• Lack of recent work experience
• Work history
• Challenges with symptoms
• Substance use

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Working on Eliminating Barriers

• Offer seminars on working and benefits
• Educate staff
• Developing innovative approaches that help with
  eliminating identified and perceived barriers
• Impact of benefits
• supportive
• Flexible work schedules

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Question three Self sustaining in two years?

• Most businesses do not become self sustaining
  until they have been open five years
• No additional funding.
• Cover cost of
• Wages, inventory, workmans comp., insurance,
  site, unexpected expenses

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What is consumer owned?

• Difficulty with coming up with a true answer.
• Both programs develop businesses that provide
  mentoring to members

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One approach

• El Hogar, Inc.
• River City Community Homeless Program

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First year

• Goal develop a Thrift Store
• Challenges
• Developing a Business Plan
• Securing a site
• Liability?
• Determining job positions and numbers needed to
  be successful
• Not having a dedicated position for the
  development

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Second Year

• Time running out
• County allowed first year funds to be rolled
  over into second year
• Still struggling with consumer owned
• Break through

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Break through

• Make decision to start small, develop skills
• Develop small business where we would be able
  to train consumers, help them with building job
  skills, confidence and assist them with the
  process of developing their own business when
  they request.

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El Hogar, Inc. River City Community Homeless
ProgramConsumer Owned and Operated Business
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Sacramento Second Chances, Inc.
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Sacramento Second Chances, Inc

• A non profit organization incorporated by parent
  agency, El Hogar, Inc. in April 2006
• Served by a Board of Directors consisting of
  three to five elected members who will serve a
  one year term with subsequent board members
  serving two year terms
• Operations are guided by an Advisory Council
  consisting of select identified El Hogar, Inc.
  officers and staff.

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Building a corporation

• Developing a clear vision
• Board of Directors
• Advisory Council
• Mission Statement
• Organizational Chart
• Filing with the state of California as a non
  profit corporation
• Developing a business plan

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Philosophy

• Providing entrepreneurial business assistance and
  employment opportunities to those individuals
  considering transitioning back into the
  employment world.

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Mission Statement

• Provide competitive and excellent services to the
  public while assisting those individuals desiring
  to transition back into the workforce with an
  opportunity to improve the quality of life
  through gainful employment and developing
  positive/healthy life skills.

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Four Divisions of Sacramento Second
Chances, Inc.
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Cutting Hedge Lawn Service

• Specializes in residential and commercial lawn
  care service
• Mowing
• Edging
• Hedging
• Yard Clean Up
• Trimming / Pruning upon request

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El Niño Cleaning

• Provides one time or long term cleaning services
  to both residential and commercial accounts
• Janitorial services
• Cleaning rooms or offices
• Vacuuming
• Trash removal
• Dusting
• Handyman services
• Patching holes in walls
• Painting rooms
• Fixing doors

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A Squeaky Clean Window Cleaners

• Offers residential and commercial
• Window cleaning
• Pressure washing
• Awning cleaning
• Blind and screen cleaning
• limited to single story

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The Co-Op

• A flea market space selling a variety of
  merchandise.
• Slippers / Sandals
• Toys
• Jewelry
• Luggage
• Umbrellas

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Goals for Sac Second Chances, Inc.
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Short Term Goal

• Employ 30-40 part time employees.
• Initially, partner with River City Community
  Homeless Program to receive referrals of
  individuals with mental health and homeless
  backgrounds

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Long Term Goal

• To work with local agencies, including but not
  limited to those in the mental health service
  community to obtain referrals for prospective
  employees.
• Develop new businesses tailored towards current
  members needs experiences.

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Employment Process

• Application
• Drug Screen
• Live Scan
• Resume Building
• Payroll / Employment handbook / Training Manual
• Start work

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Sacramento Second Chances

• Rob Kassis
• Business Development Coordinator
• Sacramento Second Chances
• rkassis_at_sacsecondchances.org
• Office [phone]
• Fax [phone]

• Brad Yates
• Employment Specialist
• Sacramento Second Chances
• byates_at_sacsecondchances.org
• Office [phone]
• Fax [phone]