Employment Services

The HELP Works program, established in 1995, is committed to training clients for employment, and placing them in livable-wage jobs.

HELP USA emphasizes employment and self-sufficiency in all of its residential and non-residential programs. The majority of HELP USA residential facilities offer employment services. Eligible clients from non-participating facilities are referred to employment programs within the HELP USA organization.  The pinnacle of the HELP Works program is the HELP Supportive Employment Center at Wards Island, a residential employment center serving 200 adults at any given time. 

HELP Works is a comprehensive program
consisting of the following components:

Life Skills Training

Life Skills Training focuses on building the client's self-esteem and sense of empowerment.  Clients identify barriers to employment and learn to develop strategies to overcome them.  Time management, problem solving and conflict resolution techniques are emphasized.  Clients use basic computer applications to develop their resumes for seeking internship and employment opportunities. They become computer literate as a result. 

Vocational Training

Culinary Arts
HELP Work's 10-week Culinary Arts Training Program teaches basic culinary techniques for a successful career in the culinary arts. 

Computer & Office Skills
The HELP Works Automated Skills program teaches clients basic computer applications and introduces them to a variety of office systems and equipment.  Participants gain the skills necessary for entry level positions or other jobs requiring computer literacy.

Maintenance/Janitorial
The 10-week Maintenance/Janitorial Training Program teaches basic skills and techniques for success in building maintenance.   

Job Placement

Participants begin working with job developers while they are still undergoing vocational training. Job placement typically occurs soon after completion of training.  Businesses within local communities frequently hire HELP Works graduates.  Additionally, employment and internship opportunities at HELP USA are often given to graduates of HELP Works' employment programs.  HELP USA's new employees in security, maintenance, childcare, and computer services are frequently HELP Works graduates.

Job Retention/Aftercare Services

Support services are provided to clients after they have begun working and have left the facility for permanent housing.  HELP USA staff works with individual clients to help resolve issues that threaten the stability of housing or employment placements.

Fresh Start for Families

Fresh Start for Families is an employment program which helps domestic abuse survivors and their families make the transition from welfare to work.  For survivors of domestic violence, the need for confidentiality and childcare as well a lack of education and work experience often present barriers to employment.  Fresh Start for Families addresses any issues that interfere with job placement and retention.  Developed in collaboration with the Ackerman Institute for the Family and City College of New York, the program is sensitive to the indirect effects of violence, like depression and poor concentration, which are often misinterpreted as laziness or lack of motivation to work.