Adults services at Phalanx Family Services is part of a holistic approach to enrich Chicagoans’ lives. The agency’s goal is to guide participants into stable living-wage jobs. They offer an array of services for individuals 18 and older through subsidized employment and vocational training opportunities.
Beyond employment, the Phalanx team is dedicated to assisting all of their customer’s needs. They can help someone through programs at the agency or connect the person with an outside source. Phalanx Adult Services believes that it is essential to take care of the whole person because the things that affect them in their lives impact their ability to perform well on the job. Their approach to services encompasses the customer as well as their family.
The employment and training services offer jobs through several programs. They are, for example, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), CDBG transitional jobs program, and the TANF project. In addition, Phalanx’s vocational training includes basic nursing assistant training, food service, sanitation, commercial driver’s license (CDL), and armed and unarmed security officer training. “If there is training not offered on-site, Phalanx collaborates with city colleges and other training centers where [we] can enroll our customers,” according to Loris Cannon.
Job programs run between 8 and 12 weeks long and pay $15 – $17.50 an hour. For customers seeking job training, the time commitment depends on their interests. For example, the nursing assistant training is 12 weeks. Participants earn a wage while they learn.
The SNAP employment program offers short-term, subsidized employment training designed to help able-bodied adults without dependents gain on-the-job work experience, vocational training, and work and life readiness training.
This program requires a referral from the state, but if a person reaches out to Phalanx and is a potential candidate, the team can help them obtain the needed referral.
Phalanx has a new program for formerly incarcerated individuals referred to the agency from prisons. The objective is to help them and their families regain a sense of normalcy. As needed, these returning citizens are assisted with training, job placement, and wrap-around services like mental health and referrals.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Phalanx Family Services
Interview: Program Coordinator for Phalanx Family Services Adult Programs, Loris Cannon; March 29, 2022
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of DVIDS Archive – Public Domain License
Inset Image Mark Holloway Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
