One year ago, our Solano Region’s Jobs Plus team launched the new Individual Placement Support (IPS) model intended to provide rapid competitive employment for people experiencing mental health, substance, physical challenges, and/ or those who have been part of the criminal justice system.
In just one year, the updated program has seen great success.
The success wouldn’t be possible without the full support of Solano County Behavioral Health Department Deputy Director Sandra Sinz, LCSW; Administrators over Adult Services Emery Cowan, LPCC, LMHC; and the MHSA team headed by Tracy Lacey, LMFT.
Our Caminar Jobs Plus team, led by Program Director Jennifer Davis, includes highly-committed employment specialists and peer support staff who are embedded in all Solano County BHS clinics and Caminar programs.
This new Jobs Plus program allows placements to be made with creativity, motivation and desire from our clients, and no bureaucratic barriers.
To date, the new Jobs Plus program has made 88 placements. These job placements average 24 hours a week and an average hourly wage of $12.83. Of those served, 40% were part of the criminal justice system and secured gainful employment.
Employment placements were made in the following industries
Retail:24%
Food Service:15%
Warehouse:24%
Customer Service/Hospitality:20%
Health Care/Social Service:15%
Other:2%
Our newly-employed clients say it best:
“If you are consistent with Jobs Club you will learn techniques to pass that interview. I am grateful for my job at Safeway!”
“Thank you for sticking with me until I got my job.”
“I want to thank you all for being so diligent and being there for me, helping me whenever I needed it and just being there for support. You guys are awesome.”
“I feel that Caminar has been very helpful to me in training and the Jobs Plus program. I got along well with the people I was training with. I was able with their help to apply to a job site, & successfully obtained a good job with Pride Industries, which I can continue to work at for many years. I am grateful to my job developer and job coach for all their help. I feel that I have found friendship with both Caminar and Pride Industries, and I hope to be able to continue to do business with both in the future.”
Congratulations to the Solano Region’s Jobs Plus team on a successful year and we wish our clients all the very best in their employment journey.
