STEPPING UP U.S. Department of Education Stepping Up Grant Through a subcontract to the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), AHP is helping conduct a U.S. Department of Education project in Illinois that seeks to create career ladder jobs for tenants of supportive housing and homeless individuals in social services, medical office technologies and property management. The project involves a partnership among the Illinois Office of Rehabilitation Services, the Chicago Workforce Board, the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, and more than a dozen other agencies. Project participants select their vocational preferences, enter specially designed coursework at the community college, and earn certificates of training in their fields. Assistance and support is provided to place participants with employers in their career pathways. This sectoral approach to community economic development connects members of low-income communities to employment opportunities by redirecting training resources and education, and by connecting clients to employers in targeted regional industries. AHP has helped to prepare informational materials for clients and provided training sessions to Stepping Up staff on career advancement, customized employment, and vocational rehabilitation for people who have been homeless. AHP also has advised the project director and staff by directing meetings and writing briefs, contributing to final reports on three targeted occupational pathways, providing cross training to stakeholders, and conducting agency site visits and assessments.
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