Program Spotlight: Supported Employment
“With employment people think about money, but that’s never the main motivator for our clients—it’s about being part of the community.”
- Samantha McKenzie
Program Manager, Supported Employment
We tend to think of employment as a paycheck—but for most of us, it means more. Employment provides belonging and a sense of contributing to society. For people with histories of homelessness, extensive trauma, and mental illness, employment can also promote recovery and stability.
Launched more than a decade ago, FrontLine’s Supported Employment program provides time-unlimited support to help individuals who are overcoming homelessness, mental illness, and other barriers to achieve their employment goals. The program uses the evidence-based model, Individual Placement and Support (IPS), and contributes program outcomes to the national dataset that demonstrates the program’s effectiveness. (Nationally, 44-46% of IPS participants are working; among those FrontLine serves, despite the additional barriers they face, 43.3% (31/71) were working as of August 2023.)
Many employment programs conduct assessment tests or steer clients toward specific jobs, but the IPS-model is 100% client-driven. (See side-bar to explore the 8 principles that distinguish IPS from other employment programs.) Employment Specialists accompany clients to meet prospective employers and provide ongoing support after a client obtains employment.
Samantha McKenzie, Supported Employment Program Manager, explains, “We give clients wake-up calls, we give them rides to work, if they lose a bus ticket and can’t get to work, we give them that support. Everyone needs help and a lot of us don’t realize how much support we have from our partners, parents, friends. For a lot of our clients, we are that person for them. Someone to talk to if you have a terrible or wonderful interaction at work. We are there for them unconditionally. Lose 100 jobs and we are here for you, helping you learn from the experience.”
FrontLine partners with local employers like Merwin's Wharf to the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Guardians who understand the program’s purpose and have been key to its success. These employment opportunities provide invaluable autonomy.
“Being able to afford a stamp and a card to send a birthday card to a parent, or seeing a commercial for Pizza Hut and being able to order their own pizza. It’s such a cool thing to watch someone light up when they achieve that level of independence.”
One story Samantha recalled was of an individual who found work at a local business where he was well-loved and respected for 6 years until he suddenly passed away. When there was no one to claim his remains, his employer claimed the remains, held a memorial, and still keeps their ashes on site.
“That was obviously a sad event, but it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t had a job and was such a great part of that team.” Samantha said.
If you are an employer who would like to partner with FrontLine’s employment program, call (216) 623-6555 and ask for Supported Employment.
The Supported Employment team is hiring!
If you are interested in becoming an Employment Specialist, visit our employment page to learn more.
8 Principles of IPS
Focus on Competitive Employment: Agencies providing IPS services are committed to competitive employment as an attainable goal for people with serious mental illness seeking employment.
Eligibility Based on Client Choice: People are not excluded based on readiness, diagnoses, symptoms, substance use history, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, level of disability, or legal system involvement.
Integration of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Services: IPS programs are tightly integrated with mental health treatment teams.
Attention to Consumer Preferences: Services are based on each person’s preferences and choices, rather than providers’ judgments.
Personalized Benefits Counseling: Employment specialists help people obtain personalized, understandable, and accurate information about their Social Security, Medicaid, and other government entitlements.
Rapid Job Search: IPS programs use a rapid job search approach to help job seekers obtain jobs directly, rather than providing lengthy pre-employment assessment, training, and counseling.
Systematic Job Development: Employment specialists systematically visit employers, who are selected based on job seeker preferences, to learn about their business needs and hiring preferences.
Time-Unlimited and Individualized Support: Job support is individualized and continues for as long as each worker wants and needs the support.