LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

Coordinator position and developed a new District-wide Employment Program to meet the
employment needs of transition age youth and adults with emotional disorders/behavioral disorders,
severe mental illnesses, addictive disorders, developmental disabilities, and co-occurring disorders,
particularly those who are not served by the LAHIRE program. Region III serves ages 16-18
through Career Solutions: The Work Connection by assisting youth who are looking for job
placement and career enchantment. In Region IV, Louisiana Rehabilitation Services assist
individuals with disabilities to obtain job training or education. The National Guard Youth
Challenge Program (ages 16 - 18) assists high school dropouts to obtain job training and a GED.
The Lafayette Parish School System / Options Program assist high school students to obtain a
certificate in a vocation when a high school diploma will not be obtained.
Region V refers transitional age youth to Transition Workshops for training on adult issues, resume
building, and networking. Calcasieu Parish Schools Job for Americas also offers a program in
Region V to help high school students with job training mentoring and job placement. Louisiana
Rehabilitation Services (LRS) has a transitional age program to assist with job readiness and
placement for individuals 17 years of age and older who are graduating from high school. Families
Helping Families hold transition fairs and offers resources from area agencies to youth in grades 11
and 12. In Region VII, Special Education Transition Team helps special education students connect
with vocational services, trainings, and sheltered workshops. In FPHSA, The Youth Career
Development Project is funded by a grant from the US Department of Labor to teach construction
skills to youth between the ages of 16 and 24 with little or no work history. Additionally, the public
school system in this area offers various on-the-job trainings to students in special education
classes. These trainings are provided by local businesses. In JPHSA the Adolescent Job
Shadowing/Apprentice Program serves youth between the ages of 14 and 20. This program offers
job readiness curriculum support as well as stipend exposure to the workforce with the assistance of
a mentor.
The overall goal of OMH employment initiatives is to create a system within the Office of Mental
Health that will encourage and facilitate consumers of mental health services to become employed,
thereby achieving greater self-determination and a higher quality of life, while helping consumers
transition from being dependent on taxpayer supported programs; to being independent, taxpaying
citizens contributing to the economic growth of our state and society. The national economy has
made this goal an extremely challenging one at best. Nationwide, a suffering economy can have a
spiraling effect as workers are laid off and the need for public assistance increases. However, when
resources are not available, the solution-focused alternative is to assist clients in obtaining and
maintaining employment through help with resume-writing, job searching, and interviewing skills.
HOUSING SERVICES
FY 2011 – Child/Youth
While there are by some measures a limited number of available alternative housing resources for
children and adolescents with an emotional or behavioral disorder, the philosophy of the Office of
Mental Health has been to preserve the family system in their natural setting while delivering
appropriate and effective mental health services. In keeping with that philosophy, the housing
efforts of OBH have been directed toward resources that will impact families rather than separating
children into segregated housing. Overall, the movement in housing nationally has been away from
segregated congregate living and toward permanent supportive housing, providing supportive
services to individuals and families in the housing of their choice.
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 202
SECTION III: CHILD/ YOUTH PLAN – CRITERION 1
COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES -- SYSTEM OF CARE & AVAILABLE SERVICES