MISSION:

The purpose of Haymarket’s Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center is to provide the necessary skills and education components needed to return clients and their families to a productive community living. We are committed to assisting our employers in maintaining a drug free environment while positively affecting our clients physically, spiritually and economically. The Center will be open to substance abuse clients that will demonstrate a successful completion of treatment. This will be achieved by providing a collaboration of resources through Job Readiness, Literacy, GED, and Skill-Based training services.

OPERATIONS:  

As a service training program we provide innovative and quality services that address the diverse needs of clients with substance abuse problems. The Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center provides vocational services and referrals to Skill-Based training centers. These centers typically fulfill this need at no cost to the client. We work closely with the Illinois Department of Employment Services (IDES) and the Illinois Employment Training Centers (IETC) to assist clients with additional resources and apprentice opportunities.

HISTORY:

Haymarket Center was founded on New Years Eve 1975, by Monsignor Ignatius McDermott and Dr. James West, in the field of substance abuse. Haymarket Center serves Chemically-Dependent men and women and their families including homeless and certain court mandated offenders through detox, residential out-patient and special treatment programs.

The Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center (a component of Haymarket Center) and the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) started this first and unique partnership in the history of Employment Services, August 2002. For the first time, the U.S Department Of Labor funded a program to provide Job Training on site.

The target for the first year of the program in 2002 was to enroll 75 clients, and place 25 clients into full and part-time employments. Also, to place 30 clients in our in-house apprentice program known as the Recovery Works Program. Since August 2002, the Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center has enrolled over 865 active participants. We have placed 428 participants into full-time employment opportunities and have enrolled 201 clients into our apprentice program with the focus being gainful employment. Since August 2002, we have assisted 164 participants with pursuing their educational goals with many completing their GED and other obtaining college credits.

Because of the success of the program, it was quoted by the Federal Project Officer with the Department Of Labor, to put forth the Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Centers concept on the departments “Best Practices” website for others to replicate.

RANGE OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES:

Each participant is carefully screened prior to enrollment in our program. Once a participant has been accepted, they will be offered a variety of services, which include:

Our Vocational Counselor is committed to providing training in these areas:

Our program is staffed with seasoned professionals that are committed to the employers as well as the employees. Once a participant has successfully completed the five (5) week, training program they will continue to receive job retention services for one (1) year.

Our candidates include individual with entry level skills up to and including candidates, which have training in a specific field, certification in a specific field or have earned a degree. Many of our candidates have a broad range of experience in the general labor industry. One thing that they all have in common is the desire to successfully complete our Job Readiness Program and become productive citizens.

BENEFITS OF HIRING ANN F. BAUM FAMILY ENRICHMENT APPLICANT:

Participants in our program are a diverse group of individuals. They are eager and ready to make a commitment to an employer. Employers interested in hiring one of our participants, maybe entitled to additional no charge services:

Fidelity Bonding Program:

Administered by Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)

Work Opportunity Tax Credit Incentive:

Administered by the Federal Government (WOTC). This program provides an income tax credit for up to 35 percent of the first $6,000, in wages you pay to each eligible worker during their first year of employment.

Drug Screening:

The Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Program will only refer candidates that are drug-free to you. Many employers, as part of their employment process are spending budget dollars on pre-drug screening. As an added incentive to hiring a FEC candidate, with a firm offer of employment, we will have the individual drug-screened for you, at no cost to you. The results will be delivered directly to you. In a time of budget cuts and cost restraint, this can be an additional saving in your hiring process.

Referral Process:

• Our vocational counselor will first screen and verify that the candidate referred to an employer, meets that employers specifications.
• The vocational counselor will contact the employer to confirm the interview date and time.
• A referral letter will be given to the candidate to be presented at the time of interview.
• After the interview, the vocational counselor with contact the prospective employer or the employer my contact the vocational counselor to discuss the interview.

An employer is never obligated to hire a candidate that has been referred by the Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Program. However, we can commit to only referring candidates that meet the specifications for your specific job opportunity.

Retention Management:

Upon completion of our training program, our case manager will monitor the participant for one year. The case manager will take an active role in supporting the participate, and/or employer with any concerns, relating to job retention.

It has been a pleasure to give you a brief overview of our program. I look forward to discussing how the Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Program can partner with you, to provide you with some outstanding prospective employees.