Partners Overview

The original purpose of the partnerships was to provide a community based referral network among public, private, local, state, and federal agencies. Our desire to bring customer service and quality programs to our community was the original intent. The most wonderful transformation took place: Our community was working together to create a community caring for those who live and work here. The results of this powerful community development network was the conception of the Business Opportunities for Self Success Project (B.O.S.S. Project).

There is no limit to the number of partners that a group may choose to have in the core group, the B.O.S.S. Project team. Ideal team members would be people whose individual agendas will not deter from the B.O.S.S. Project mission.

Selected members should be from organizations which add to the cooperative benefit of the team. For example, a member organizations could be an agency that offers planning and workshop space; financial contributions for supplies or materials; coordination of referral partners. The main objective is that the member should be an individual that is motivated to move this community effort forward.

There is much work to be done! Many hands make the work load light, but please choose active, innovative, community-minded individuals to join you on your new adventure - the B.O.S.S. Project team.

There are also many other roles that community members can play. A key role to the B.O.S.S. Project is the referring agency partners.

Referring agencies will help market the program to the ideal participants. When inviting these agencies to your event, be sure they are aware of the program before hand. To do this it may require a visit with the agency management to give advance awareess about the program. Newsletters, websites, and networking opportunities are also ways to help advance the B.O.S.S. Project.

Potential Referring Agencies

• Benefits Planning Project
• Catholic Charities
• Center of Hope
• Department of Human Services/Family Community Resource Center
• Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services
• Department of Labor-Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training
• Department of Veteran Affairs
• Employment Alliance
• Epilepsy Foundation
• Experience Works
• Church Cooperative
• Local Township
• Local Community College
• Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP)
• Illinois Department of Commerce/Economic Opportunity
• Illinois Department of Employment Services (IDES)
• Illinois Department of Employment/Veteran Services
• Illinois Growth Enterprise Inc. (IGE)
• Centers for Independant Living
• Public Mental Health agencies
• Private Mental Health agencies
• Area Vocational Center
• Area Sheltered Workshops
• Lutheran Social Services
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
• Partners for Employment
• Regional Access Mobility Project (RAMP)
• Private Phychotherapist office
• Medical office
• Self Employment Resource Network (SERN)
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
• Social Security Administration
• Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation centers
• Area Career Center
• Women's Financial Services/YWCA
• Domestic violence support agencies

The wonderful benefit of building this community referral network is the resources that will help you service your community come from your community. The relationships developed out of this Project will help your community grow.

First and foremost, the B.O.S.S. Project team needs to take the time to know each other and the services provided by you and your agency. It won't be a fast, overnight process. As with any relationship it takes time to develop. The team meetings held will help two-fold in this process: Getting to know the partners and to bring the B.O.S.S. Project to the community.

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Founding Partners

• Benefits Planning Project
• Department of Human Services - Division of Rehabilitation Services
• Illiois Assistive Technology Program (IATP)
• Illinois Department of Employment Services - Veteran Affairs
• Self Employment Resource Network (SERN)
• Small Business Development Center of Northwest Illinois (SBDC)

• Benefits Planning Project

The Benefits Planning Project provides benefits planning assistance to individuals who are receiving SSI and/or SSDI and are under age 65. Individuals who meet these two criteria and are interested in returning to work may contact BPP for information on how working will affect their State and Federal Benefits. Those benefits include, but are not limited to, cash benefits, medical coverage, subsidized housing, TANF, and food stamp benefits.

BPP is also able to provide information to customers about any work incentives that may be available to them when they return to work. If requested, an individual written analysis can be done, based on the specific situation, benefits, and employment goals.

Rebecca Peters, Benefits Specialist
Benefits Planning Project
73 W. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 402
Freeport, IL 61032
Phone: (815) 599-0760
Fax: (815) 232-3169
Email: DHSRSJ1@dhs.state.il.us

• Department fo Human Services - Division of Rehabilitation Services

The Illinois Department of Human Services' Division of Rehabilitation Services (DHS/DRS) is the state's lead agency serving persons with disabilities. The staff works one-on-one with individuals who have disabilities and their families to empower them to reach their employment, education, and independent living goals.

DHS/DRS values the many business and community partners and recognize that these partnerships are the key to continually enhancing services to customers.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services offered by DHS/DRS assists people with disabilities in preparing for, finding, and maintaining quality employment that pays a living wage and offers opportunities for advancement. The staff works closely with state, regional, and local employers, offering individualized placement services that bring employers and qualified employees together. The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is largely funded through U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). There are also state funds appropriated by the Governorand General Assembly. RSA regulates the VR program consistent with the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, as amended.

Services Available to the Business Community

• On the Job Evaluation & Training:

• Job Coaching/Employment Mentoring:

• Follow up Services:

• Job Retention Services:

• Work Opportunity Tax Credit Verification:

• Worksite Accommodation Evaluation:

• Personalized Staff Training:

Contact:
Jackie Bastian: Employment Specialist
IDHS-Division of Rehabilitation Services
773 W. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 402
Freeport, IL 61032
Phone: (815) 233-5904

• Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP)

Illinois Assistive Technology Program's mission is to break down barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing the assistive technology that lets them learn, work, play, and live in the community.

IATP's majorprograms include:

• Information and assistance through via toll-free numbers
• An assistive technology demonstration center
• An assistive technology device loan program
• A low interest cash loan program
• A quarterly newsletter that is distributed to 7,500 readers
• Assistive technology trainings which focus on primarily on capacity-building and train-the-trainer programs
• "TechNotes"- a publication that covers a variety of topics
• A policy/systems change program which involoves annually monitoring hundreds of bills which affect people with disabilities and keeping consumers informed about these and other state and federal initiatives.

• Illinois Department of Employment Services - Veteran Affairs

In this time and age, information is crucial not only for survival, but for making progress. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) wants you to know about valuable, yet little known, resources that can help you meet your bottom-line goals as employers.

IDES administrers federally-funded employment services and unemployment insurance through its 70 offices, including the Illinois Employment and Training Centers (IETC's) located throughout the state. IDES also provides and analyzes labor market statistics.

IDES can help you find employees, provide a place for you to recruit and interview them, analyze the labor force and access tax credits.

Here are five key business resources that we offer to employers:

• www.illinoisskillsmatch.com The Illinois Skills Match website can help employers fulfill their staffing needs. Illinoisskillsmatch.com is an online job matching service that matches employers' job openings to the skills of qualified workers. Employers can enter their job openings through this online service at no charge and at any time of the day. If a job seeker's skills match the skills an employer requires, Illinoisskillsmatch.com notifies the employer and job seeker of the match. Then the employer has the option of arranging an interview. Illinoisskillsmatch.com has successfully matched thousands of employers' job openings to qualified workers' skills.



• Recruiting and Interviewing Services at Local Offices
  Employers can conveniently conduct employee interviews and recruitment drives at IDES' Illinois Employment and Training Centers. These offices are equipped with meeting rooms and computers with Internet access.



• Tax Credits
  IDES can help employers access tax credits for hiring job seekers with disadvantaged backgrouds. The Welfare-to-Work Tax credit provides employers who hire long-term welfare recipients as much as $8,500 per new hire. Also, the Work Opportunity Tax credit provides up to $2,400 per hire to employers who hire certain disadvantaged people, including: welfare recipients, ex-felons, SSI recipients, 18-24-year old food stamp recipients, residents of an empowerment zone, enterprise community or renewal community, veterans who are members of a family that received food stamps and disabled people who are completing rehabilitative services approved by a state or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.



• Bonding
  Employers who need insurance to protect themselves against employee dishonesty, theft, or embezzlement can apply for fidelity bonds through IDES. Fidelity bonds are provided at no cost to employers. They provide up to $5,000 worth of coverage for people who have a firm offer of full-time work but who either have a record of arrest, conviction, or imprisonment of a dishonorable military discharge.



• Workforce Information
  Whether you need data on statewide or local wages paid for particular jobs, industry projections, or the condition of the labor force, IDES can help you.

IDES looks forward to serving you and helping you reach your bottom-line goals.

• Self Employment Resource Network (SERN)

The Self-Employment Resource Network, SERN, is a task force on self-employment comprised of state agencies, private vocational rehabilitation agencies, small business owners and self-employed persons who have a disability; other members include but are not limited to parents, friends of persons interested in self- employment, national and state organizations, etc.

The mission of SERN is to locate and translate resource information into user-friendly terms, facilitate networking opportunities, and offer assistance in identifying and developing procedures for persons with disabilities wanting to be self-employed.

SERN is a resource for:

• Persons with disabilities seeking information and resources on self-employment
• Community organizations seeking to support persons with disabilities in their pursuit of self-employment
• City Procurement departments in their attempt to certify business owned and/or operated by persons with disabilities
• Local Workforce Investment Boards in supporting One Stop Centers to provide self-employment as an employment option

With your assistance, SERN can be a model to the nation on how to support the increase fo self-employment opportunities for persons with disabilities!

Contact:
Marsie Frawley
Senior Policy Analyst
Health & Disability Advocates
President, SERN
205 W. Monroe St. 3rd St.
Chicago, IL 60606-5013
Phone: (312) 265-9069
Fax: (312) 223-9518
Email: mfrawley@hdadvocates.org

• Small Business Development Center of Northwest Illinois (SBDC)

The Small Business Development Center of Northwest Illinois is part of the Small Business Development Center Network, a division of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities. Additional funding for the SBDC comes from the partnership with the U.S. SMall Business Administration (SBA), Highland Community College, and Sauk Valley Community College.

With an unprecidented number of businesses calling Illinois home today,we truly have the art of enterprise down to a science. SBDC is here to be your partner and advocate in business. We help in four main areas of concentration: Business start-ups, established businesses, agricultural business, and educational programs. Most of our programs are at low or no cost to our customers.

Contact:

Michelle M. Miller, SBDC Director Highland Community College 2998 W. Pearl City Road Freeport, IL 61032 Phone: (815) 599-3654 Fax: (815) 232-1366 Email: michele.miller@highland.edu

Michele M. Miller, SBDC Director Sauk Valley Community College 173 IL Route 2 Dixon, IL 61021 Phone: (815) 288-5511 x320 Fax: (815) 288-6032 Email: millerm@svcc.edu