joint mission of SER Metro-Detroit and Holy Cross Children’s Services. The $1 million check was presented to SER Metro-
Detroit President & CEO, Ms. Eva Garza Dewaelsche and President & CEO of Holy Cross Children’s Services, Brother Francis
Boylan, csc. This investment will help build the Ford Wellness Center, an 18.000 square foot facility that will be the cornerstone for adults and their families to receive life altering education, job training, and community wellness programs that will have a lasting effect on the city of Detroit and local businesses. The project will benefit tens of thousands of individuals and families each year that are serviced by SER Metro-Detroit, Holy Cross Children’s Services, and the 106 resident agencies/Samaritan Center partners that combine synergistically to meet our common goals.
Plans for launching the Ford Wellness Center have been established between principal stakeholders. Ground breaking is
expected early 2008.
SER Metro-Detroit is pleased to announce its partnership with Detroit Local Initiatives Corporation (LISC) and United Way for Southeastern Michigan in the operation of the Center for Working Families (CWF), an innovative project that helps low income families reach financial stability and move up the economic ladder. The CWF provides as core components, employment and career advancement services, income enhancements and work supports, and financial and wealth building services
Since employment alone is not always enough to help low income households achieve financial independence, the CWF provides access to a full range of essential economic supports to help families build self-sufficiency, stabilize their finances and move ahead.
The CWF offers: on site employment services that include, job placement, retention, re-attachment, and advancement; one-on-one financial coaching tailored to the needs of the client; on-site access to income and work supports, including tax credits and other benefits to which clients are entitled, tax return preparation; and, consumer advocacy with financial institutions to offer financial products and services at fair price.
Recognizing a significant need, Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM) began an innovative partnership to advance community economic development in Greater Detroit. Serving as the Greater Detroit Center for Working Families (CWF) intermediary, Detroit LISC and UWSEM implement and manage the CWF network in partnership with SER and other organizations that deliver the CWF services. This network is a unique collaboration creating opportunities to leverage the strengths of each organization of the collaborative; and as noted by Detroit LISC Senior Program Officer, Ms. Karen Tyler-Ruiz, a shared voice for advocacy and systems change, noting also that the significance of this collaborative network becomes an even more powerful asset to families across Greater Detroit during these particularly hard-hitting economic times.
Ms. Michelle Rafferty, UWSEM Director of Workforce and Economic Development, said of SER’s involvement, “UWSEM and LISC are thrilled to partner with SER Metro-Detroit on the Center for Working Families. During an extensive research and planning process, we looked for partners who had an existing capacity and track record in providing effective employment or financial services; who were trusted in the community; and who were committed to evolving in order to find innovative ways to serve clients. We also wanted partners who believed in the possibility of moving more lower income families to financial stability. SER -Detroit stands out in all these areas and was an obvious choice.”
Renewed corporate investment by Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company and the Detroit Newspaper Partnership, leveraged grants from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) under the Detroit Neighborhoods Now initiative as well as the Detroit Workforce Development Department (DWDD) to establish an Adult Education Center. The Center makes it possible for SER to continue to offer educational programming and to also expand the program to serve a greater number of older youth and adults in need of enhanced basic skills and educational credentials necessary for post secondary education or training and labor market success.
youth from low income communities so they can move into GED Preparation and earn the GED Credential that will allow them to
qualify for post secondary education or training and better compete for a job. Among the Amigos sponsoring this important project
were Chrysler, Comerica, the Detroit Newspaper Partnership, Ford, and the Myron P. Leven Foundation. The outcomes of this
program were exceptional with more than 150 individuals served and more than 80% increasing their skills by a 2 grade levels
minimum.
Metro-Detroit has resulted in the creation of the Careers for Life Center Consortium. The
Consortium will enable all three organizations to combine their area of specialization to create a
career ladder employment program that will provide new and incumbent workers with a pathway
for advancement in the growing field of health care, complete with improved earnings and better
life opportunities. This cross-sector partnership of community, education, and business, will
include academic remediation and GED Preparation, along with professional development, soft
skills training, work-site training, and health care foundational, occupational and industry skills
training ranging from Certificate level programs through Master’s degree level programs.
Supports such as child care and transportation are also included to increase the probability of
students’ success. As incumbent workers advance to higher level positions, new talent will be
brought in to fill available career ladder entry-level jobs.
Henry Ford Community College is a leading learning institution with degree and certification
programs that are widely recognized and highly recommended by employers of health care
professions. Henry Ford Health System is a renowned medical system and the leading employer
of health care industry workers, and SER Metro-Detroit, established in 1971, is a community
based organization recognized for its exceptional results in the training and placement of
individuals in the city of Detroit.
A national organization with a community focus, LISC is committed to transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy communities of choice and opportunity – good places to work, do business and raise children. LISC is expanding its traditional focus of working directly with community development corporations to developing partnerships with a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit organizations that support the larger issue of comprehensive community health and sustainability. Since 1990 Detroit LISC has invested over $100 million and leveraged an additional $675 million in funding for the revitalization of Detroit.
demand industry
education.