Breaking the Cycle
of
Chronic Unemployment
Yvonne Nair, CEO
Saffron Strand, Inc.
Saffron Strand, Inc.
124A Washington Avenue, Unit C
Point Richmond, CA 94801
Tel: (510) 778-9492
Fax: (510) 778-9493
E-mail: info@saffronstrand.org
Website: http://saffronstrand.org
Our Mission
• Building job skills and increasing employment
of homeless adults and youth in Richmond and
other Bay Area communities
• Providing public education and professional
training to increase employment and economic
self-sufficiency of homeless, hard-to-employ,
and long-term unemployed
The Need:
Get the Homeless & At-Risk
Back to Work
• National overview
• California situation
• Contra Costa County challenge
• Richmond -- the Perfect Labor Storm
Challenge of Work
Readiness
Major challenge – homeless, hard-to-employ, and
long-term unemployed face barriers to
employment that determine duration of
unemployment
•Technical barriers
•Psychological and behavioral barriers
•Saffron Strand intake process
Technical barriers have practical solutions.
Psychological and behavioral barriers require case
management and intentional community.
Case Management Tools:
Trauma Informed Care
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Definition of trauma
Causes of trauma
Impact of trauma
Shifting the focus
Coping strategies
Taking the fence down
Case Management Tools:
Motivational Interviewing
& Behavior Change
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What is Motivational Interviewing?
Why is it used?
How does it work?
Readiness for change
Stages of Change
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5.
Precontemplation
Contemplation
Preparation and determination
Action and will power
Maintenance
Intentional Community
• Definition of intentional community
• Role of the intentional community
• Social supports of an intention community
Homeless People
Want to Work
• Sacramento Homeless Connect
• Homeless survey in Austin, Texas
• Homeless survey in Baltimore, Maryland
• Homeless survey in Portland, Oregon
• Saffron Strand’s interest survey
What Research Shows
•“Employment and Income Supports for
Homeless People” -- David Long, John Rio, Jeremy
Rosen in National Symposium on Homelessness
Research, 2007
•“Alternative Employment Strategies for Hardto-Employ TANF Recipients” -- Erin Jacobs and
Dan Bloom, MDRC, 2011
•Saffron Strand experience -- stipend versus no
stipend
Saffron Strand Center: Work-Ordered Day
Time
General Activity
9:00 a.m. --  Member sign in
10:00 a.m.  Breakfast
 Work readiness
update
 Employer/coworker issues
 Answering
phones
 Shelter/ housing
needs and issues
 Food needs
 Health issues
 Domestic violence
 Mental
health/substance
abuse issues
 Criminal justice
issues
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Skills Building
Working in an environment of trust,
respect and dignity
Preparing for the work day
Dressing appropriately for work
Work related social interactions with other
volunteer staff and other members
Appropriate phone communications
Responding to potential employers and
others in a timely fashion
Learning to use office equipment and
software consistently and accurately
Learning and accessing resources to
address their individual needs
Saffron Strand Center: Work-Ordered Day
Time
10:00 a.m. -- 
12:00 p.m.
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General Activity
Skills Building
Addressing immediate,
emergent issues that would
interfere with membership or
employment
Targeted job search
Resumes and cover letters
Job interview skills practice
Applying to schools
Financial aid applications
Help with homework
assignments
Clean Slate applications
Other benefits applications
EEOC complaint issues
Technical skills
 Working on the computer
 Key boarding skills
 Learning effective e-mail
 Answering phones,
professional messages
 Internet searches
 Microsoft Office Suite and
other software
Soft skills
 Working with diverse coworkers, supervisors, etc.
 Time management
 Managing resources
 Appropriate work-related
language and behavior
 Dealing with racism,
stereotypes and biases
Saffron Strand Center: Work-Ordered Day
Time
General Activity
12:00 p.m. – Lunch
1:00 p.m.
Informal involvement of
“intentional community” in
addressing issues
1:00 p.m. –
3:00 p.m.
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Daily Center operations,
community outreach, projects
Programming questions
Finding member resources
Presentations to funders and
community leaders
Leading member meetings
Benefit information
Warm line outreach
Recruitment
Annual Conference, etc.
Skills Building
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Team work in the kitchen
Proper food handling,
preparing and serving
Table manners
Proper nutrition
Cleaning up
Critical thinking skills
Applying logic to projects
Appropriate use of office
equipment and software
Creative work
Skills for special projects
Learning how to speak to
community leaders
Leadership training
Member advocacy training
Giving back
Why It Works
Staging area during normal business
hours in which to practice life, social,
and work skills
Empowerment of each member as an
economically independent individual with
valuable work skills and experience worthy
of respect and paid compensation
Transition from learned helplessness and
survival conditioning to self-reliance and
giving back to the community
Trauma-informed, professional-quality
working environment which offers a
medium of trust, respect, and dignity
Emotional support through an intentional
community dedicated to achieving gainful
employment or enterprise for every
member
Identification and reinforcement of individual
strengths, including factors of resiliency which
enable recovery from the trauma of homelessness
Case Study 1:
Clinton
• 24 year old African American male born and
raised in Texas
• Lived in several foster homes and emergency
shelters as child
• Raised in very rigid, religious foster homes
• Moved to California in search of employment
• History of serial employment lasting no longer
than 6 months to a year
Case Study 2:
Natalie
• 34 year old African American female raised in
Richmond, CA
• Had long criminal history due to drug abuse
and mental health issues
• Due to early exposure, found education and
employment in social services field in order to
make changes in system she found to be flawed
• Held positions in AODA rehabilitation clinic,
child services programs, and mental health clinic
but was always terminated for lack of training
and inappropriate behavior
Case Study 3:
Anderson
• 67 year old African American male born and
raised in the Bay Area
• Suffered exposure to drugs and alcohol as a
child
• Lived several homeless shelters as adult with
repeated drug rehabilitation relapses
• Lived in very rigid, religious treatment facility
and transitional housing program
• Mouth had most teeth missing with abscesses
and ulceration due to chronic drug abuse
• History of serial employment lasting no longer
than 1 year
Case Study 4:
Silvia
• 26 year old Hispanic female born in rural Mexico
• Emigrated to U.S. at 16 years old for a better life
• Education limited to 6th grade level, spoke very
little English
• Had 3 children – 2 grade school aged, 1 toddler
• Had extended family in U.S.
• Spouse required Silvia to stay at home raising
children but spouse unable to make enough
money to solely support the family
• Had several jobs cleaning homes and offices and
working in food services, but was terminated due
to lack of training and child care issues
Saffron Strand Outcomes
• More than 250 homeless
and low income people
served
• 210 total members
• 74 active members
• 12 very active members
• 108 currently employed
• 41 employed 2 years or
more
• 37 employed 4 years or
more
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66% African Americans
18% Caucasians
8% Hispanics
6% Asians
2% Native Americans
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42% Ages 18-35
36% Ages 36-55
21% Ages 56-75
1% Ages 76+
Thank You!
Questions?
Saffron Strand, Inc.
124A Washington Avenue, Unit C
Point Richmond, CA 94801
Tel: (510) 778-9492
Fax: (510) 778-9493
E-mail: info@saffronstrand.org
Website: http://saffronstrand.org