JEVS ACT Employment and Adult Education Specialists are ready to help! Above, from left: Tyeriah Todd, Certified Employment Specialist, Ryan Kelly, GED/Adult Education Instructor, and Sam Cole, Certified Employment Specialist.
Providing employment services to those in addiction recovery helps clients achieve their goals in the JEVS Achievement through Counseling and Treatment (ACT) Program.
As part of the commitment to help clients achieve their long term recovery goals, JEVS Achievement through Counseling and Treatment (ACT) is now offering supported education and employment services, including GED classes, resume writing workshops, job search assistance, and more. These services are in addition to the medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction that JEVS ACT clinics currently provide.
“Our employment services are individualized rather than a cookie cutter approach,” said JEVS ACT Employment Manager Maria Delgado. “Clients are seeing we are committed to not just getting them a job, but helping them start on a career path.”
The services were introduced in March and have so far been presented to over 150 individuals who attended group info sessions and one-on-one appointments with ACT employment specialists. And the new services are already bearing fruit.
ACT Clients Are Gaining Employment
ACT client Scott M. was the first participant to gain employment through the new services. ACT employment staff worked closely with Scott – listening to his goals, helping him tailor his resume, and coaching him through mock interviews. They even drove him to his actual job interview with UPS, where he was hired as a loader.
Scott has been working with UPS for three weeks, and is optimistic about his future. “I’m really happy to be able to provide for my son now — I think this could be a lasting career,” says Scott, adding “I’ve been telling everyone else at ACT that they should take advantage of these services and incentives.”
Scott is referring to the incentives clients receive through the program, including a $125 gift card for landing a job, with additional incentives provided for every month of steady employment, for up to three months.
ACT client Danny G. was also among the first to get a job through ACT’s employment services. After ACT staff helped him with career planning and resume building, they referred him to Career Wardrobe where he was outfitted with a new suit, tie and dress shoes, all paid for by JEVS.
Not long afterward, Danny was hired by the Four Season Hotel in the Comcast Center as a full-time Kitchen Steward. He began training this week and is grateful for the opportunity.
“These services have really helped me,” Danny said, “and I think they can help anyone at the clinic. I am so thankful for Tyeriah, Maria and Sam.”
The clients are not the only ones excited about the new employee services, ACT staff are jazzed too. Maria Delgado sums it up best: “Remember what we do here, think of what ACT stands for – it’s Achievement, Counseling and Treatment. Having employment services really helps with the Achievement part. It gives clients a whole new lease on life.”
And it is a great example of making hope happen.
If you or someone you know can benefit from these services, contact ACT today.
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