Title
Receive an oral report from the Department of Social Services on the CalWORKs Employment Services (CWES) Welfare-to-Work and Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act’s (WIOA) Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.
Presenter: Diane Jimenez, Deputy Director
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Health, Housing, and Human Services (HHHS) Committee of the Board of Supervisors receives an oral report from the Department of Social Services (DSS) on the CalWORKs Employment Services (CWES) Welfare-to-Work and Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act’s (WIOA) Adult and Dislocated Worker programs
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Monterey County Department of Social Services has developed a holistic and integrated approach to meeting the needs of CalWORKs and WIOA program participants seeking employment and to increase their educational, vocational, and/or economic success.
1. CWES Program
The CWES Program provides a variety of support services to assist eligible CalWORKs recipients become self-sufficient and get off public assistance. Over the past decade, the CWES program has adopted a holistic approach in meeting the needs of participants and their families that includes: housing assistance; mental health, domestic abuse, and substance abuse counseling; learning disability assessment and tutoring; legal barriers, and credit repair - all of which resulted in Monterey County DSS meeting and exceeding its required Federal performance mandates. Additionally, DSS has invested over $4,196,079 in contracts during the past year alone, and partnered with over 22 local non-profits, community colleges, and/or service providers to provide an integrated service delivery model to address economic, social, educational, and mental health barriers to employment.
2. WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs
The WIOA Program (formally Office for Employment Training) was transferred to DSS from the Economic Development Department in October of 2017. This included the Youth, Adult, and Dislocated Programs. As of July 2018, DSS retained only the Adult and Dislocated Programs for the contract year 2018-19. Since October 2017, DSS has made substantial progress in meeting contract mandates and serving the needs of Dislocated Workers and unemployed and/or underemployed adult community, by exceeding its enrollment goals by 30% and training goals by 52%, compared to last program year.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
No other agency was involved in development of this report.
FINANCING:
There is no impact to the County General Fund from this report.
Prepared by: Diana Jimenez, Deputy Director, x3320
Approved by: Henry Espinosa, Acting Director, x4430