Jewish Family Services examines the whole life of each person who walks in the door

 
The staff at Jewish Family Services speaks 15 languages, which is one example of how the organization works with individuals from all walks of life.
Its mission is to strengthen individuals and families, and ensure they achieve economic self-sufficiency and emotional stability — mostly through work placement.
CEO June Gutterman, Ed.D., says their motto is to work with the life each person brings them when they walk through the door.
“We provide services using an integrated person-centric model,” she says. “We are driven by the unique needs of our clients, rather than the constraints of our funders. We wrap support services and expertise around clients, using integrated teams of career counselors and social workers. This enables us to be far more effective.”
A person-centric integrated team approach has taken the organization’s thinking out of silos, giving it the ability to innovate and create custom services, Gutterman says.
Jewish Family Services also can articulate the needs of the populations it serves, which has changed the conversation with its funders.
Teams function seamlessly and without turf issues, building an all hands on deck culture.
Smart Business spoke with Gutterman about Jewish Family Services and its approach to work placement.

SB: Whom does Jewish Family Services help?

JG: We see executives who have been downsized; women in their 50s and 60s who need to get back into the labor market after years of being family caregivers to both their children and parents; young adults who are looking to establish a foothold in the working world; and individuals receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families who want to land good paying jobs so that they can move off benefits dependency.
We work with refugees from across the globe who come through our doors eager to build a new life.
We provide services to 239 survivors of Nazi persecution and their families who live in Central Ohio; we provide case management and clinical support to Jewish families in crisis; and we support seniors and their families so that they can maintain their independence.
Finally, we work with teenagers in our Let’s Talk Respect program focused on ending teen dating violence.

SB: What are some examples of your person-centric approach and the results it brings?

JG: We created Getting Your Groove Back, which is funded by Key Bank. Groove was started because we had clients coping with long-term unemployment and manifesting significant psychological issues as a result.
They were depressed, introverted and desperate. They were coping with severe stress and anxiety over serious financial issues, which make getting a job practically impossible.
We integrated both clinical and career staff and created an eight-week program. Grooves are made up of 10 people who work on soft skills, cope with self-defeating behaviors, build confidence and create mutual social supports like exercising, meeting for coffee, etc.
Over the past three years, over 85 percent of participants have succeeded in gaining employment.
Another example is Leah’s List, funded by both the Columbus Jewish Federation and Foundation. This service was created to bring professional pro bono volunteer resources to our clients.
Specifically, we have over 150 volunteers on tap. They make up a cadre of lawyers, dentists, accountants, financial counselors, construction contractors, movers, etc. Volunteers are matched with clients based on their skills and the specific needs of the client.

SB: Why do you think a holistic approach is important for problem-solving, in general?

JG: This kind of integrated person-centered approach enables staff to clearly see the individual sitting in front of them. We created a single entry system where we take the time to go beyond the presenting problem that brought someone to the agency. We delve into the complex layers that make up the person.
This approach is to wrap services around the person, rather than trying to ‘fit’ the individual into a specific program. Staff recognizes that they can tap into the collective expertise of the agency, rather than the limited resources of any particular program.
From a leadership perspective, while one always has to manage money and people, in the 21st century you also have to manage time and expertise. These are prime tools for innovation.
We have intentionally dedicated time and space for integrated staffing and planning. This reinforces a culture where we are learning from one another, and therefore the organization is always learning and tweaking our services.

SB: How do metrics help drive your mission?

JG: Our metrics are straightforward. At the end of the day, workforce programs are about economic impact, not only on the client, but also on the employer and community.
Last year 546 people got jobs, they earned $17.47 million in wages and paid $4.36 million in taxes. The investment of funds to accomplish this was $2.04 million. These people entered the job market in positions from entry level to CEO. They are from every zip code in Franklin County and all walks of life.

SB: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

JG: We understand that workforce services have one customer — the employer. We know that unless we focus on the employer’s needs, our clients won’t succeed.
We devote staff to listening to and working with our employers. We want repeat business from our customers, so we work to ensure they get qualified, pre-screened candidates who will meet their needs and contribute to their bottom line.

For Jewish Family Services, it’s not just about placement; rather, it is about retention of that job. Our employer customers come back to us because we have a job retention rate that exceeds 90 percent. That is value added, indeed.