THE VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
One of the benefits of Township Government in its ability to adapt to changing circumstances and effect changes immediately. It’s nice to tell you about all of the good things we do at the Wayne Township Trustees Office, but we are always looking to do things better and in fact made a change recently that’s had a substantial impact on the citizens in need coming to our office. Due to the fact that the job market in the Fort Wayne area has been at times somewhat shaky, we have seen a dramatic increase in people seeking assistance due to employment related issues. Seeing this trend and wanting to do our part to help these citizens we have expanded the influence of our Wayne Township Employment Department in our daily operation with startling results.
The process of employment referral begins during the client – caseworker interview. After determination of income sources and ability to work, an employment determination screen must be completed and activated by the caseworker. This process cannot be bypassed, and a reason must be given for any applicant that will not be referred for employment. Reasons that would constitute a non-referral status would be: those with a disability, children two years or under in the household, or someone needed in the home in a caretaker role. All other clients are referred and assisted in finding employment. Those refusing to help themselves are denied further assistance.
Once referred to the Wayne Township Employment Department, a job skills evaluation is completed and matched with a local employer needing a worker with those skills. The client will receive a yellow employment referral letter stating an employers’ contact information, looking for applicants with skills that they possess. Within three days of receipt of referral letter, the clients are required to make contact with the employer. A client can receive up to 10 referrals per week. Those not completing required application for employment will be denied further assistance for sixty days.
The Wayne Township Trustees Employment department keeps in contact with at least 500 employers throughout the year on a monthly basis. With this employment initiative, we have seen about a 200% increase in both referrals to employers, and in former clients hired and now on the way to being self-sufficient. Clients that had an ongoing history of unemployment by not really trying to help themselves have declined by about 33%.
In between seeking employment, clients are required to do community service through our Wayne Township Workfare Department which saved local not for profit agencies almost a quarter of a million dollars this past year in labor savings.
People remark about the compassion emanating from our office these days. It has been our standard that if clients qualify they will get all they need in the way of assistance, if they are also willing to help themselves. They must care as much as all the rest of us do in providing them help. Far more people are receiving help these days through the Wayne Township Trustees Office, but for about the same amount of tax dollars. My hat is off to our Employment and Workfare Departments for helping us provide accountability to you, our most valuable resource.
If you would like additional information on our employment department, you can check out our brochure for this or any other department on our website: www.waynetownship.org.
Have a great Easter Holiday. Look for us in The Waynedale News for the Wayne Township Great Easter Egg Hunt! The Great Egg Hunt is the largest event of its kind in Northern Indiana.
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