Success Stories

 

 

Ashley G.

After enduring several life changing events, going to school and getting good grades became an after-thought and Ashley hadn’t thought much about her future. The Intern & Earn program proved to be the catalyst she needed to gain direction and some much needed encouragement along th​e way.

She participated in internships over the course of two summers and both her maturity level and skillsets had grown immensely during that time. In her first year she built her office skills and played a large part in organizing and coordinating a large scale intern celebration event. By her second summer she’d taken on a leadership role amongst other interns and was a positive role model for those working their first job. With a new sense of confidence and the mentorship of her Employment Counselors, Ashley graduated high school and has a clear path in life. She’s enrolled at a local Junior College where she is working on an Associate’s Degree with the intention of transferring to a 4-year University to study Social Work.

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Yavante T.

An honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army, Yavante continue​d to support the military in his civilian life as a Program Manager working at the University of California San Francisco’s Next Mission program. Through his work he was able to use his experiences to help his fellow veterans and their families find ways to cope with PTSD. Unfortunately, after nine years of pouring himself into this career, Yavante’s program budget was reduced and he lost his job.

After several years of underemployment, working survival jobs just to get by, Yavante eventually found himself financially stretched and unable to make ends meet. After seeking assistance from the CalWORKs program he quickly became a regular attendee at the Employment Connection Center’s Job Club. Through CalWORKs Ancillary Support, Yavante was able to get himself interview clothing and the CalWORKs Jump Start program he was able to have his car repaired. Working with the CalWORKs Family Stabilization Housing Assistance Program and the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program, he has put his family on the path to the first stable home they’ve had in years. While resolving these barriers, Yavante never stopped pursuing the quality job he’d been striving for, serving his community as an employee of Santa Clara County. He attained this goal in a mere 8-weeks when he landed a job with the county’s Registrar of Voters, working as an Election Worker I.

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Next Door Solutions

Founded In 1971, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence has spent 48 years dedicated itself to proving critical services to those experiencing domestic violence in a relationship or at home. Its first 24/7 crisis line was run out of a garage, and it was the first bilingual domestic violence shelter in the country. Today, Working in collaboration with the County’s CalWORKs program, Next Door Solutions has the capacity to take any victim of domestic violence from crisis to stability.

Working hand in hand to serve mutual clients, a domestic violence liaison from Next Door Solutions and a CalWORKs Employment Counselors collaboratively to provide vital supportive services such as: housing support, food benefits, healthcare, transportation assistance, childcare, personal counseling, and access to legal services. In doing so, they ensure that domestic violence survivors’ basic physical and emotional needs are met, freeing them to focus their energy on securing a job or furthering their education.

The CalWORKs program recognizes the true value of the work they perform and named them the 2018 Community Partner of the Year.

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Bon Apetit

For 2018, The CalWORKs program has selected Bon Appetit as its Employer of the Year. Bon Appetit provides an onsite restaurant experience, offering café and catering services that balance culinary expertise with socially responsible practices to ensure the positive well-being of guests and employees alike.

As part of its effort to support local communities, Bon Appetit has partnered with the County’s CalWORKs program for over five years. This partnership has proved invaluable to CalWORKs Employment Services, as it guarantees a match for those clients who are eager to grow careers in the food services industry. The jobs made available to our clients accommodate all levels of experience and range from entry-level culinary positions all the way to management opportunities. Bon Appetit pays industry-competitive wages and offers full-time employees medical, dental and vision benefits along with a 401K retirement plan with match options. Equally important, the company often promotes from its ranks and all employees, including CalWORKs participants, have room to grow within the company. Over the course of the past two years, Bon Appetit has helped transform the lives of 11 CalWORKs clients, each empowered by the pride of working on the campus of an esteemed university, museum, or tech giant.

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