Integration: Cook Inlet Tribal Council
The cover of "Sustainability 2021: A five-year plan for our self-determination," CITC's long-range strategic plan. (Photo: Cook Inlet Tribal Council)
Years ago, CITC comprehensively examined the overall yet varied needs and desires of its program participants to move from dependency to self-sufficiency. Through 477, it merged its job and career-readiness programs with its Child Care, Community Services Block Grant, GA, TANF, and related programs to create a unified approach that meets “people where they are and help them help themselves to achieve their endless potential.” At its core is CITC’s intake form and process, which has enabled it to provide services in a more holistic, culturally competent, and efficient way. The approach offers a “no wrong door” ease of service for clients seeking assistance, enabling them to tell their story once and then get “cross-referred” to any other programs under CITC’s workforce development umbrella that would be helpful to getting them on the road to gainful employment. To date, CITC’s integrated approach has helped nearly 2,000 participants transition from welfare to employment, and has produced an average increase of $7.81 increase in their average hourly wage. As CITC explains, it “has allowed us to allocate more funding to direct services, and both philosophically and financially better align programs with local needs.”
CONNECT: Lisa Rieger, Chief Legal Officer, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, lrieger@citci.org
Workforce Development: COOK INLET TRIBAL COUNCIL
To learn more about CITC’s workforce development story, click on the resources below.