Ending homelessness through employment and housing requires a focused effort aimed at building linkages with the mainstream workforce system, using innovative, proven strategies and advocating for the necessary resources and supports. Homeless jobseekers with barriers to employment are disadvantaged in the best of times. In the current economy, agencies need better tools and skilled practice. In this pre-conference session, we will help participants make use of new the Community Employment Pathway guidebook provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create training and job opportunities, explore how hopeFound has combined a Housing First, work first program using motivational interviewing as a cornerstone practice. Speakers also addressed the need for local and national advocacy for financial resources, employment encouraging policies, and access to mainstream services.

1. WorkFirst
WorkFirst is a three year demonstration project to support long-term housing retention
and self-sufficiency among 140 newly housed formerly homeless men and women.
Eligibility, Engagement, and Enrollment
There are three criteria for WorkFirst program eligibility:
Clients must be newly housed in permanent subsidized housing for less than 90
days
Housing can have no prerequisites such as sobriety
Clients must be receiving case management services
Newly housed client information is entered into HMIS and an electronic referral to
WorkFirst is automatically generated within 48 hours; 100% referral to WorkFirst. Once
the referral is received by the WorkFirst Manager, the case is assigned to an
Employment Services (ES) staff person. The ES then contacts HousingFirst staff to
arrange a time for both staff members to meet together with the client.
Engagement with a newly housed client must take place within the first 90 days of being
housed for enrollment purposes. For enrollment determination, the client must express
an interest in work.
At the initial meeting, WorkFirst staff gives client a Welcome Bag which contains a
written inspirational quote, a granola bar, chap stick, hand sanitizer, a Dunkin Donuts
card, and two Charlie Cards. Staff and client work together to identify any obstacles to
participation in the program.
After enrollment, the client continues to receive case management services from
HousingFirst and begins to meet with WorkFirst staff to build a relationship and continue
the conversation about employment.
WorkFirst Approach
Traditional employment services are based on the premise that a client must be “job
ready” before beginning to assist the client in securing employment. The WorkFirst
program turns this notion upside down and says “we’re ready when you are.” It is based
on the philosophy that a client is ready to start thinking about work at any point in their
journey toward housing and wholeness.
Often times entry level jobs do not lead to long term employment retention or to financial
security. A goal for WorkFirst is for clients to view career ladders and growth potential
as a normal part of work experience. WorkFirst will assist people with further training,
credentialing or other requirements to move into more skilled and better paying jobs.
This requires a long term commitment on the part of both clients and counselors.
WorkFirst is premised on the mounting evidence based research that a client’s interest
in finding employment is a powerful motivator for helping clients take action in other
parts of their lives. WorkFirst understands that a client can begin taking small steps
toward employment without requiring the client to be “job ready” in the traditional sense.

2. The flexibility of the WorkFirst approach provides the basis for starting the employment
conversation with a client, be it on the street, in a shelter, or in permanent subsidized
housing. WorkFirst understands that reaching employment goals is a long-term process
and is willing to start the journey with their clients, wherever they are in their lives, to
discover new paths towards the goal.
WorkFirst holds several fundamental beliefs about working with clients. These beliefs
include providing services that are person-centered, client-directed, and strengths-based
These approaches to working with clients align with the stages of change applied in
harm reduction activities and motivational interviewing. WorkFirst believes that
incorporating career development activities into core services is essential for a client’s
long- term economic stability.
The person-centered approach is based on the work of psychologist Carl Rogers.
Rogers believed that all people have an innate capacity for positive growth. This drive
may become lost or misdirected, yet with the proper environment it can reemerge.
Empathy, genuineness and acceptance are key pieces of the environment Rogers
strove to create.
This approach applies in several ways in the types of helping relationships that
WorkFirst develops with clients. Staff believes that each person can change for the
better; this is central to helping. This non-coercive approach values people for who they
are, rather than who they aren’t. This in turn allows people to experience themselves in
a more positive manner.
The elements of this approach are quite simple. Reflective listening, that is
paraphrasing or reflecting feelings, without adding one’s own judgment, is essential.
The other important piece is communicating one’s own opinion accurately and in a
manner that is useful to the person one is helping. For example, if a staff person does
not like a choice a person is making, s/he can state that they have concerns and what
those concerns are. The worries belong to the staff person; the individual does not need
to agree with them. Yet, it may lead to a conversation and understanding about
elements of the choice.
Client-directed services are simply that, services that the client chooses. Initially, this
may mean that the client agrees to meet with WorkFirst staff, to engage in some
conversations about his or her life experience, to have a cup of coffee or a stroll around
the block. The pace and degree of interaction is dictated by the client. Staff may make
suggestions, ask if the individual might consider something, but understand that the
client has the right of refusal. As clients come to realize that they are not expected to do
something they do not wish to, the “yes-ing” can cease and frank discussions about what
a person wants become more likely.
The strengths-based approach looks at what strengths, skills and abilities are
demonstrated by the client. By focusing on what a person can do, what he or she brings
to a situation, a path is prepared for potential next steps. Challenges are overcome by
realizing what skills or strengths we have and can apply to a situation. The fact that our
clients have experienced homelessness demonstrates a significant degree of strength.

3. Translating these abilities into self-realized work is a key feature of the strength-based
approach.
Stages of Change
The WorkFirst model and the toolkit structure and approach are based on the stages of
change identified by Prochaska and Di Clemente.
The stages of change are:
• Pre-Contemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance
• Relapse
First used in addiction recovery work, these stages have been applied to many other
types of change that people wish to make. John Rio, Senior Program Associate for
Advocates for Human Potential, applied the stages of change to vocational recovery for
homeless job seekers and workers. The toolkit draws on his outline of characteristics of
the vocational situation, motivational orientation, and motivational intervention. In this
approach, behaviors identify the stage a person is in. Interventions can then be targeted
to the particular stage.
The stages of change approach in moving clients toward employment mirrors the harm
reduction model that holds that any positive change or engagement is a success.
Research shows that most lasting change is incremental; thus, small changes add up
over time.
Toolkit Structure
The toolkit is divided into sections based on the six stages of change. Each section
provides a fuller description of the stages of change relative to employment.
The toolkit is divided into six sections:
1. Pre-Contemplation
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
6. Relapse
Each section of the toolkit describes the stage and characteristics of the vocational
situation. This includes identifying:
• Stage Behaviors indicative of a particular stage
• Outcomes Key behavioral outcomes that indicate the client is
moving toward the next stage of change

4. • Competencies By participating in the activities in each stage, clients
are enhancing soft skill competencies needed for entry
level jobs
• Actions Activities to engage client
• Resources Materials, handouts, worksheets to support activities
A goal of each section is to provide staff with a menu of activities to use depending on
client needs and to provide staff with the flexibility to decide when is the best time to
offer menu items to a client. The activities can be adapted for use one-on-one or in
small groups. Many of the activities lend themselves to adaptation in the housing
situation, thus allowing for reinforcement of any one-on-one work.
Resources
Resources are to be adapted for one-on-one use, expanded for group situations, or used
as conversation guides. Some resources are listed for use in several stages as they can
be narrowed down or extended as needed.
Resources are drawn primarily from existing employment related curricula:
ABE Florida 2001: Workforce Readiness Learning Activities Resource Guide (FL)
Corporation for Supportive Housing: Job Seeker Planning Tool (CSH)
East Baltimore Pipeline Job Readiness Training Curriculum (BP)
Getting There: A Curriculum for Moving People into Employment (GT)
Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE/ESOL Classroom Curriculum Guide (ICA)
My Story, My Path to Self-Sufficiency, Woman to Woman Program (MM)
Networks: A Guide to Expanding the Employment Networks of Low-Income People
(NET)
Action Plan
As clients enter the Stage of Change called Preparation, staff begins to introduce more
structure into the career and employment exploration process. It becomes more
important to set expectations at each meeting with a client and identify tasks to be
completed by the client before the next meeting. To facilitate this a simple one-page
Action Plan can be used to document what the staff and client accomplished in the
meeting and what each will each do in preparation for the next meeting. It can be signed
by both and a copy given to the client at the end of the meeting. The Action Plan
encourages the development of clients’ planning skills.

5. Using KeyTrain
WorkFirst’s strength-based approach to working with clients includes the use of
KeyTrain, a complete interactive training system for career readiness skills, based on
ACT's WorkKeys® assessment system and the National Career Readiness Certificate.
This online training system provides a means for assessing a client’s foundational skills,
helping a client practice and develop new and stronger skills, and identifying career
opportunities based on skills.
KeyTrain’s Foundational Skills include:
• Reading for Information
• Applied Mathematics
• Locating Information
• Introduction to Applied Technology
• Applied Technology (Electricity, Fluids, Mechanics, and Thermodynamics)
• Business Writing
• Listening
• Observation
• Teamwork
• Writing
• Beginning Language
• Beginning Math
By incorporating KeyTrain into the services provided, WorkFirst provides concrete skills
attainment for clients and a means of verifying skills attainment recognized by
employers. For clients, it builds confidence and self-esteem both essential for pursuing
career and employment opportunities.
Given the WorkFirst approach of engaging with clients based on the stage of change
exhibited behaviorally, KeyTrain is best introduced in the Preparation stage. In this
stage, clients are guided using more structured activities and are encouraged to explore
training options and how to prepare for entering training. It is also useful in the Action
stage when clients are job searching, planning to enter training, or looking for internships
or volunteer opportunities. KeyTrain will help them hone their skills and, depending on
progress attained, prepare to take the ACT/WorkKeys test and receive a certificate of
skill attainment to share with an employer. It is also useful in the Maintenance stage
when clients are thinking about advancement opportunities and identifying skills needed.
Because many clients have had negative experiences with school, assessments, and
testing in general, it is advisable to slowly introduce clients to KeyTrain. A framework for
the conversation is the concept of life-long learning. All workers will need to be
continually improving or upgrading their skills throughout their work lives. KeyTrain is
one step in helping people be successful in their careers.
A method for becoming familiar with skill levels needed for occupations is to have them
first explore occupations using ACT’s World-of-Work interactive map. KeyTrain is
correlated with ACT so the skills described and ranked in the World-of-Work map match

6. those in KeyTrain’s lessons. The World-of-Work map can be found at:
http://www.act.org/wwm/index.html
As an Instructor in KeyTrain you can:
• Assign a pre-test for any skill to help determine and generate the appropriate
lesson level for that skill;
• Manually assign skill lessons at a particular level;
• Track client progress through the Reports function.
Listed below are ways to use KeyTrain when working with a client:
• Build confidence by observing and identifying the client’s strongest KeyTrain
skill(s) and then ask the client to take the assessment test for that skill. By
working from a strength based mode you can encourage the client to build on
that strength through KeyTrain lessons and to be more receptive to assessment
of other skills.
• When a client is thinking about possible jobs or occupations, you may want to
confirm their skill levels. Use the job profiles guide to decide which skills
assessments are key for the job. Start with the one the client or staff thinks is the
strongest for the client. Depending on the gap, between skills needed and skills
a client has, assign skills lessons. If the gap is too wide to be easily closed in a
short period of time, use this as an opportunity to do a reality check with the
client about the occupational match. Help the client explore additional
occupations. This is also a good time to talk about longer term training options to
help close the gap.
• Use the “Search ACT Job Profiles” function in several ways. Clients can search
by location, job category, and/or skill levels. It works best to identify the area for
the search as “both national and local”. If “local” alone is marked there are few
jobs identified.
o For wide skills gaps between a job and a client’s skills, use the function to
identify jobs that better match a client’s current skills.
o Search by job category, not skill level, to identify careers of interest and
then use that to plan on training needed.
• When a client says they have certain skills or performed certain tasks in previous
jobs or volunteer positions and verification is needed. Assign the lesson(s) that
best match the skills described. If the client’s skills are assessed at a lower level
than anticipated by the client, use it as an opportunity to talk about how skills
become rusty when not used consistently. The positive note is that skills can be
regained. Assign lessons to help client begin practicing one of the skills.
• Identifying job training programs and then targeting areas for development to
meet entrance skills criteria.

7. Once clients have attained skill proficiency at the desired level based on KeyTrain
results, clients can proceed to take the ACT/WorkKeys tests for those job skills. If they
succeed in meeting the skill level, then they receive a WorkKeys summary report
verifying that they meet the standards recognized by employers. This summary report
can be included when submitting a resume or a job application. It can also be part of a
employment portfolio shared during a job interview or education or training program
interview.
Portfolio of Success
Staff will guide clients in developing a portfolio of success using the activities and
handouts in the WorkFirst toolkit. The portfolio is a portable description of a client’s
skills, interests, and educational and occupational goals. The portfolio can serve as an
effective tool for clients as they advocate for themselves in both educational and
occupational arenas.
The portfolio includes:
• Discovery Cards
• Checklists of skills, interests, and abilities
• Community resources map
• Practice application for job or a training program
• Evaluations from internships or volunteer positions
• KeyTrain and WorkKeys results
• Resume and cover letter
Post Placement Services
Services offered and activites conducted after placement in a job to facilitate:
• Job retention- keeping a certain job, addressing the barriers and issues effecting
the job retention
• Labor force attachment- maintaining good employment track records
• Career advancement – developing new skills leading to promotion within the
same or new workplace, or new workplace in the same industry
Retention Services
Reflective of the Private/Public Venture (P/PV) Employment Retention Essentials best
practices:
• Focus on retention continuously – make it clear to participants that getting a good
job, keeping it and advancing are the goals
• Develop a trusting relationship with your clients – relationships aimed at helping
people keep their jobs are intentional and professional, but they are also
individual
• Get people into jobs they will keep – target good jobs; know the good employers;
know the right jobs, promote good decision making
• Help people establish work history – plan for the long term; work on work ethics
and interpersonal skills; check the preparations (self image, motivation); develop
job know-how; emphasize responsible job leaving

8. • Provide opportunities to develop skills – promote skills development planning
(ongoing self-assessment, information gathering and goal setting); offer a skills
building programs; arrange internship; provide access to training
• Help people to deal with challenges – successfully adapting to the demands of
working (making the transition to work, preparing for the cost of working, facing
cultural and economic differences, coping with insufficient friends/family/socials
support); respond to clues that spell trouble; know the real resources, make
successful referrals
• Provide ongoing support – manage the workload; plan for retention time; check
with the jobholder; creative contract. “Do you have what it takes?”
• Involve employers – become employment experts to understand your local
industries, jobs and employers
Evaluation
The WorkFirst Evaluation, designed by Advocates for Human Potential, addresses three
questions that are important to program stakeholder as well as to the larger community
of policy makers, service providers and researchers working to improve employment
services and outcomes for homeless people.
1. Efficacy of employment services: Does WorkFirst’s specialized, intensive and
integrated employment services help tenants in Housing First programs
achieve better employment and housing outcomes than do regularly available
employment services?
2. Timing of employment services: Do people who receive employment services
at different points in time relative to their housing placement have different
outcomes? Is it effective, or at least not harmful, to start employment
services immediately upon housing placement or is it more effective to
sequence them?
3. Cost offsets from employment services: Do people in WorkFirst who achieve
employment end up subsequently paying a larger share of their rent with
earnings and thus help offset the costs of the employment services?