CalWORKS Work Experience/Community Service Program
In 2008, Abode Services developed and implemented its CalWORKs Work Experience/Community Service Program for Southern and Eastern County in partnership with Alameda County Social Services. Its Work Experience activities are a part of the CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work Program and are designed to help participants improve their jobs skills in a non-paid work position so that they will be able to find paid employment. Community Service activities are also non-paid and are designed to serve as a substitute for work activities. They are designed for CalWORKs participants to meet their work participation requirements when they are unable to find paid employment.
Effective November 2009, the CalWORKs Work Experience program was expanded with the influx of Federal Stimulus funds. In addition to the non-paid work experience and community service placements, we now have a paid work experience program for those participants who have met the necessary criteria outlined by Alameda County Social Services. In this program, participants receive a paycheck for their hours spent in work experience placements. Additionally these participants are eligible for a distance learning program to run concurrently with their work experience participation. Another new component of the CalWORKs program is the addition of pre-vocational workshops, held on a daily basis which provides critical job preparation skills for participants.
Catherine, a CalWORKs participant, works at Abode Services in the Paid Work Experience program
Contact:
Tina Humphrey, Program Coordinator
510-979-2003 x203