be more effective, we have develop a staffing company
that collaborates with a major company to help us find
work for our clients within the 220 entry level positions
available. As people stabilize and get on their feet and
are ready to move on to better employment benefits,
we fill those positions with new clients. This works
out well for the employers and for us. We have about
340 employees and our annual budget is about
30 million dollars.
Lingk: What is your role as president?
Williams: My role as president is to do whatever needs
to be
done. Primarily my role is to project the vision,
to
have the organization recognize what we really can
achieve on behalf of our clients, and to make sure
that we are listening to our clients, customers and partners so that the work
we do can be as effective as possible. We don't change people's lives, but
what we do, is teach them the key support systems necessary to help them
change their own lives.
What role do funders play in your organization?
Williams: Funders play a huge role in our organization. We have about
34
private
foundation grants and about 29 government contracts. I smile
because when
we are talking about competency or when we talk about
employment for
individuals with criminal records, GED
acquisition and a
number
of other
things like that. What we are really
talking about is contract
administration,
because no single contract can
provide our clients with all
the support
they
need. So what we have
done over the past 35 years, is
learn how
to
blend
within the guidelines of the funders to offer our clients
the
best
possible services.
What is the Sheridan Project about?
Williams: Sheridan is a model project, a treatment facility that offers
vocational training
and pre-employment preparedness training and
connection
to a clinical
case
manger within the institution. Prior to
establishing Sheridan,
this institution
was a closed prison, but our governor
was committed to
re-opening it once
he entered office. When he decided
to re-open it, he did
not
want it to just be
another prison. He wanted it to
be a prison that would
reduce
the number of
individuals coming back to
the
facility, and so he
appointed the
responsibility
of figuring out what he
should do and how he
should go about
it to different
factions in the city
of Chicago that had a
stake hold in this
kind of work.
Too many times whatever service starts at the prison ends at the prison
and
there is no continuum of that service once people go home. What's
really
spectacular about this model is that all of the services identified in
terms
of the needs of the people we service are available when they go
home.
And so is the Safer Foundation, in terms of meeting the employment
needs
and services for recovery once they go home. Even more important;
people
in that community [where they are returning] have been engaged
in
the
process, in some cases serving as mentors or in supporting that
person
as
they make decisions when they first come home. So, Sheridan
is a
program
that starts inside the institution and carries forward to the
community in
ways the experts say a program should.
Could you share with us some information about your Youth
Empowerment Program?
Williams: The Youth Empowerment Program is a work acclimation program
and
a GED
literacy program for 16 to 21 year olds. These 16 to 21 year olds
come
to
us
five
days a week for six to eight weeks depending upon which
particular
program
they are in, and during that time, they are expected to
behave
as though
they
are
at work. If an issue comes up, conflict resolution
skills are
taught [and
practiced]
within the classroom. This classroom is a
little
different
than other
classrooms
because in this classroom there are no
textbooks. But
what we do
have, is teams
of individuals sitting around the
table
and facilitators
posing a
series of questions
and information, not in front
of
a chalkboard but
while sitting
down and talking to
them [the students]
and
working with them.
The interesting
thing about this model
is that the
student
is both a student
and
a teacher,
because in this model everyone
has
a
strength. Those who are
stronger in math
will probably do their math faster
than the others, and then
help their peers make
sure they know how they got
it
done. This is the program
that I mentioned earlier,
when I said that 56%
of those
who take that class
get the GED in a six to
eight week period.
At its inception did the Safer program model itself after other successful
re-entry programs?
Williams: Initially Safer did not model itself after other re-entry programs.
Earlier
on,
there
were not many other programs doing this type of work. Today,
while
we
are
very
careful to include past research when looking at new models
and
talking
to other
experts in the field here and abroad, we do pay close
attention
to where
people
are succeeding to make sure that we bring the right
approach
and
optimize
our
efforts in serving our clients.
Are there any internship programs or other support systems in
place
within the
Safer Foundation to help other organizations
and/or
individuals
involved in similar types of work?
Williams: We offer college students as well as some of our staff members
with prior
criminal records the opportunity to serve in our internship programs.
And
in
many cases, hire them once they have successfully completed the
program.
For other organizations we provide technical assistance. Presently
we
are
working on creating a licensing package designed to provide other
organizations
that might need them, with quality management
function
documents with
the appropriate revisions and updates as they
go
through
the curriculum.
[Make comments on Lingk's blog.
I digg this | del.icio.us | add to redit |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||