Jennifer, Robert, Nikita, Raymond, Becky, Phil, Jason, Ben, Mairi
The career development unit is an important part of the Clubhouse. The purpose of this unit is to help members feel comfortable and supported going back to work in spite of barriers related to mental illness.
One of the many tasks that is coordinated by the Career Development Unit is facilitating Job Hour, a weekly support for members looking for a job or already working in a job. It takes place every Tuesday at 2:15 PM. We also work on members’ individual housing, community resources and educational needs and goals.
Members get support based on where their current needs are. To cater to this, we have three different types of employment programs. The first type is our Transitional Employment (TE) program. We have partnership with various employers in the city for this. The clubhouse supports the employer by helping with hiring and training. In return, members get an opportunity to work in an entry level position for 6-9 months and build experience to kick start their career. A clubhouse representative also fills in for the member’s shift in case of any absence. Some of the TE partnerships we have are Eddie’s at Mt. Vernon, American Psychiatric Group, Regency Centers at Southside Marketplace.
Jennifer shares about the benefits of TE. She recalls, “Transitional Employment helps you get back to the workforce. Usually there is a placement manager for the position. They will go with you for your training. You get to put your feet into the world of employment. We are collecting resumes and interviewing so employers don’t have to worry about that.” One of the members who benefited from our TE program is who worked in the Group TE position at Southside Marketplace. He recalls, “ I was guided through each step during the TE and that was very helpful. I started the journey working with Clara”.
The second type of employment program is Supported Employment (SE). For this, the Clubhouse assists members during the application and creates a working relationship with the employer. After that, the Clubhouse maintains a relationship with the employer and provides support with communication or tasks for members. Some SE partners we have are Planet Fitness, Ministry of Brewing, Blue Rock Studios, Second Presbyterian Church, The Shining Company etc.
The third type is Independent Employment in which we help members apply for jobs on their own with tasks such as creating a resume and job application, mock interviews, searching for jobs online etc. We have a partnership with our neighbors at Charmed. Danae, one of the owners, holds individual mock interviews for this. Robert has an IE at Shannon Saloon and he shares, “Coming to the Clubhouse inspired me to apply for a job. I have been working for about a year now and that has helped me in gaining back my financial independence.”
We also have an ongoing partnership with employment support organizations in the State such as Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) and Maryland Employment Network (MEN). We partner with the Maryland Employment Network to help our members enroll in the Federal Ticket to Work Program, where members who are interested in working off of their benefits have access to support, including a professional benefits counselor. This also has, as well as expedited reinstatement of their benefits should they experience a relapse or other hardships in the future.
DORS provides pre-job placement services; resume, cover letter and interview prep. DORS provides members $200 to spend on clothing for job related purposes, along with providing hearing assessments and $255 for mobility tickets. They also provide benefits counseling.
Participating in the tasks of the Career Development Unit provides members the opportunity to work on their recovery in a supportive environment and also their individual career goals. We hope to continue with our work and make the unit even better with teamwork.
