Abstract
This study examines the impact of a work-skills program grounded in an integrated services approach on both employment and related life domains among homeless individuals. Six hundred thirty-eight participants in a 14-week work-skills program at a large day center in New England completed assessments at intake between 1999 and 2007; a subsample of 333 also completed assessments at graduation from the program; a smaller subsample of 55 participants were re-assessed 6 months after graduation. These assessments measured work and related life skills, employment, housing status, general health status, substance use, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and legal involvement. Results revealed improvement in all types of work and related life skills, employment and income, and multiple other life domains from baseline to graduation and follow-up. Exploratory analyses suggested that improvements in work and related life skills were associated with improvement in self-esteem and self-efficacy, and that these improvements predicted stable housing situations at follow-up. Overall, these findings indicate that, for individuals struggling with the challenges of homelessness, completion of a work-skills program has a positive impact on skills and employment, and on a diverse set of life domains.
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Acknowledgments
The authors extend special thanks to Fred Smith and the staff of St. Francis House for their collaboration on this project. We thank the guests of St. Francis House who are the source of information for this study. This project was supported by funding from St. Francis House. The Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance also receives funding support from the following resources: bwin.party Digital Entertainment; National Institutes of Health; the state of Nevada; the Century Council; and Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.
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Nelson, S.E., Gray, H.M., Maurice, I.R. et al. Moving Ahead: Evaluation of a Work-Skills Training Program for Homeless Adults. Community Ment Health J 48, 711–722 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-012-9490-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-012-9490-5