Step 1: Job Readiness
Members are required to attend a one week, 30 hour workshop. Topics include:

Step 2: Job Search
Structured assistance with job search includes access to core group of employers, Internet, application assistance and interview feedback until employed.

Step 3: Job Retention
Regular contact for at least one year with Member and employer to help ensure employment retention. Re-employment services are provided following job loss.

Step 4: Advancement
Once the Member retains the same job for one year, staff assists with a plan to improve a skill, behavior or educational component to increase marketability and earning power.

Managing Barriers
For our Members, the ineffective management of barriers is a major impediment to employment retention. The Cincinnati Works approach offers trendsetting support services to help Members successfully manage these barriers and include:

• Legal Advocacy
• Behavioral Counseling (mental health)
• Chaplain Services (like a hospital or airport chaplain)
• Child Care
• Transportation
• Educational/Advancement Resources

A Cincinnati Works membership is a free, lifetime membership as long as a person is working or looking for work. Moving from poverty to self-sufficiency is a process which often requires years to achieve and many obstacles to overcome.

Member Demographics
To keep our program and services current and relevant to our Members, Cincinnati Works compiles background data on each member. A profile of our membership demographics is listed below. For more detailed information, please contact us at 513.744.WORK (9675).

Members who have a high school diploma or GED - 82%
Members who have children - 67%
Members who suffer from depression and/or anxiety - 60%
Members who rely upon public transportation - 72%
Members with a felony conviction - 10%

Employment Stabilization
The needs of the employers are a strong emphasis in our curriculum, and advancement is structured on improving a skill, behavior or educational component in order to be more marketable to the employers. The overriding purpose of the Job Readiness/Retention programming is employment stabilization (retaining a job for at least one year).

The purpose of the Advancement Services is to assist Members in increasing their wages to the self-sufficiency level for themselves and their families. We define self-sufficiency wages as 200% of federal poverty guidelines. The advancement process takes from two to five years.

Staffing
Cincinnati Works' staff is comprised of 13 full time, one part time and two contract employees. Five of these staff members are Cincinnati Works Members.

We have 106 volunteers including 23 Board of Trustees, 12 Legal Advisory Committee members, 12 Employer Visionary Committee members, 13 Fundraising Advisory Committee members, 15 mentors, 30 interviewers and one office assistant.

Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Cincinnati Works has a governing Board of Trustees with an Executive Committee comprised of the Founders of the organization, the Officers and the past Chair. While the Board and the Executive Committees each meet monthly, the various Board Committees meet as necessary. The President reports directly to the Chair of the Board. An organizational chart depicts operational reporting mechanisms for the staff. We have no parent organization.

Results
The tracking and analysis of data allows us to chart our results and make changes to our model as necessary. Some key results are:

• Over 600 Employments annually with an 84% retention rate in the workplace (vs. 25% industry average)
• Preferred source of entry-level workers for 55 core employers
• Average wage $9.00/hour
• Reduction in poverty-related problems including crime, incarceration, school dropout, etc.
• Improved health and dental care access

Learn more about our results.

Creating Strategic Allies
We are now working to reach more people living in poverty through program model replication, strategic alliances, social enterprises and community partnerships. We will be focusing our efforts in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. We have already replicated our program in whole in Houston, Texas and in part in Covington, Kentucky.