SSTOPGAP

Social Service Tools Offering Personal Growth, Autonomy & Prosperity

Family Stabilization, Job Development and Training

Both the social services community and enterprise development community are developing new philosophical approaches to utilizing profit-oriented business as social programming tools. We are moving away from social welfare models that tend to be disempowering for families and individuals and create generational dependency.  In keeping with its history of teaching self-reliance and industry as a means to escape poverty, GATEWAYS for Youth & Families has adopted this social model as part of its family stabilization program.

Underemployed populations need targeted recruitment and training to enter the job market.  Providing training and employment opportunities for these populations, along with personal financial responsibility training has shown a remarkable and profound impact in family stabilization.  In keeping with our mission to transform families so they can thrive, during 2006 we reviewed our existing social enterprise models and adapted them to meet identified programming needs for families.

In 2007, new employees for all GATEWAYS for Youth & Families social enterprise activities were recruited primarily through the family stabilization and job development program. In 2008, we’re focusing on working with other service providers, educational institutions, training programs and willing employers to provide additional opportunities for teens moving into independent status, single parents moving into the workforce due to a change in circumstances and others with a need to re-enter the job market following a lapse in employment.

As part of its long-term strategic plan, GATEWAYS for Youth & Families will continue to offer opportunities for those entering and re-entering the job force and to work with outside service providers to provide soft and hard job skills training to the targeted populations in the workforce. It is anticipated that two more social enterprises will be added to the overall program during the coming years.  These two new enterprises will be utilized as part of our family stabilization programs utilizing job development and training.