employment TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Residents at the Foundation have been assisted in securing a wide variety of employment opportunities.
Utilizing program and community resources, resident job matches are developed and maintained with the assistance from FIL’s Employment Specialist. This ensures successful matches, job support groups and liaison support between the resident, employer and program. This continued support lasts for the length of the resident’s employment.
At The Foundation for Independent Living our Vocational Department Employment Specialist works with each resident individually to find not just a job but a job our resident enjoys and wants to be successful at. Our Employment Specialist evaluates each resident one on one to construct their Individual Placement Plan (IPP). The IPP not only includes work history, and education, but it includes resident hobbies and what they would like to do.
Our goal is to seek a job that works for our specific resident so they have a job they will enjoy doing. From residents that have never worked to those that have held several jobs everyone gets an opportunity to work with our Employment Specialist. Residents work on employment seeking skills from writing a resume, to picking up applications, and answering interview questions. They work on communication skills, work relationship skills, and hands on skills for all possible positions.
Our Employment Specialist is with them every step of the way in guiding our residents to the right fit. Once a resident is hired our Employment Specialist completes on site employment checks to make sure everything is working out the way it should. Each resident is taken care of anyway needed from onsite training, to scheduling needs, and transportation. Our Vocational Department also works with our families to maintain the boundaries of social security disability income, and with keeping up with the ever changing guidelines as well.
Resident placements include:
- Assisted living facilities
- Restaurants
- Public libraries
- Day care facilities
- Grocery stores
- Produce suppliers
- Veterinarian clinics
- Beauty salons
- Retail stores
- Various volunteer opportunities
The Enrichment Center
The Foundation for Independent Living Inc. Enrichment Center is an extension of our program which makes us quite unique. This facility is utilized by residents currently not employed in the community. We operate under the philosophy that none of our residents sit home all day; they all wake up with a purpose, so keeping residents engaged is our daily commitment. The Enrichment Center incorporates skills, trainings and activities which are tailored to fit each individual’s specific skillset.
Residents also learn important job skills for community placement and pending employment. They work on soft skills needed for placement, along with resume writing and mock interviews with our Employment Specialist.
Residents not participating in job skills trainings are working with staff on our crafting business, which began in 2016. Our resident’s handmade crafts include: candy jars, decorative wreathes, holiday accents, and various greeting cards. These items are successfully sold at craft fairs throughout the South Florida region.
Our Enrichment Center also incorporates skills and topics geared towards being successful with daily living. These skills include: self-motivation, positive coping skills, self-awareness, and positive self-image. Our residents work on these skills together which supports their own socialization skills as a peer group.
Overall, The Foundation for Independent Living’s Enrichment Center has proven to be a positive environment that challenges, motivates, and encourages all members to be their best at any level.
