Assets and Neighbors Initiative

The Assets and Neighbors Initiative

Or: The Ohio Microenterprise & Customized Employment Demostration Project (MCED)

Griffin-Hammis Associates

Russell Sickles, Senior Consultant

What is an Asset?

• a useful and desirable thing or quality

• anything valuable or useful

From dictionary.reference.com


What is the Assets and Neighbors Intiative About?

• Using Universal Economic Development approaches to create businesses and jobs in Ohio communities

• A collaborative community approach (training, technical assistance, and mentoring; resource mapping; community action teams; engaging all community members)

• $500,000 in quick launch funds available for prospective business owners and job seekers in 6 OH sites (Approximately $83,000 per site)


Who?

• Job Seekers with the most significant disabilities (Assets)

• The Community (Neighbors—includes generic services and everyone else!)

• OH Rehabilitation Services Commission• LEAP (Linking Employment, Abilities & Potential)• Griffin-Hammis, Associates• Job Squad, Inc


Why?

• According to the 2007 American Community Survey, 14.1%--1,624,434 --of Ohioans of working-age (21-64) are persons with disabilities

• In 2007, only 35.9% of persons with disabilities were employed, compared with 80.5% of persons without disabilities employed

• Only 7% of individuals receiving SSI are employed

• Leadership at OH RSC


How? (Microenterprise and Customized Employment)

• Universal Economic Development• There are jobs everywhere!• What is Capital? How is Capital connected to

individuals and communities? -From dictionary.reference.com: “any source of profit, advantage, power, etc.; asset”

• Types: Financial, Physical, Social, Human• Our definition: “Anything that Adds Value…”Griffin-Hammis Associates


Self-Employment:

• Utilizes flexible approaches and supports, including microenterprise and “business-within-a-business” strategies

• A unique opportunity to create an employment circumstance specifically tailored to a personal situation, degree of mobility, speed of production, stamina, health, and accomodation needs

• Grew by 2.2% between 2006 and 2008

• Representing 18% of all employment

• Representing 88% of all businesses

Griffin-Hammis AssociatesAssociation for Enterprise Opportunity2008 Data


Self-Employment:

• The only substantial option within SSA and Medicaid/Medicare systems to accrue personal wealth and manage income predictably. There are no comparable options within wage employment

• SSA policies, such as Property Essential to Self-Support (PESS), direct SSI to exclude all resources (assets) used in a (unincorporated) business including all liquid (cash) assets used in the business by SSI recipients and/or Medicaid recipients




PESS – Property Essential to Self-Support: •SI 01130.501 Essential Property Excluded Regardless of Value or Rate of Return

•A. POLICY PRINCIPLES 2. Trade Or Business Property•“Property essential to self-support used in a trade or business is excluded from resources regardless of value or rate of return effective May 1, 1990” •“Effective May 1, 1990, all liquid resources used in the operation of a trade or business are excluded as property essential to self-support. Obtain an individual's signed allegation that liquid resources are used in the trade or business.”


Customized Employment:• “Individualizing the relationship between job seekers and

employers in ways that meet the needs of both”• Not driven by the labor-market• Non-comparative• Begins with the individual job seeker• Utilizes creative and flexible approaches to wage employment,

including negotiations with employers and Resource Ownership• Law of Requisite Variety




Beautiful things happen when something new is created—a business, a job, or both! Job Seekers become so competitively advantaged that they exit the labor market/comparative approach to employment—think resumes, applications, and interviews—and create their own opportunities, businesses, and jobs.

How? Engage the Community!

• (Un)Employment is a Community Issue• It is expensive (costly) to not work! The cost of

public benefits/services/programs; the individual and community cost of severe poverty; the impact of the lack of discretionary income on business environment (low growth, lack of jobs); dependency, disempowerment, and marginalization; and, most importantly, the loss of freedoms and options



• De-Silo Services and De-Marginalize Ourselves

• Resource Mapping• Community Action Teams (CATs): include

generic and disability specific agencies and systems, job seekers, family and friends, business and community leaders, anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and help



Partnership Between the Ohio Department of Development/Small Business Development Centers and OH RSC:

• July 2010 through September 2011

• Services provided (creativity/resource development; screening in vs. screening out; don’t create barriers)

• $$ to fund business expenses (goods and services to start a small business, supports, case services)


How? Resources

• $500,000 in quick launch funds available for job seekers and prospective business owners in 6 OH sites (Approximately $83,000 per site)

• Blending and Braiding Funds, Leveraging Resources• Partnership between DOD SBDCs and OH RSC• A SSI and/or SSDI benefit recipient has tens of

thousands of dollars surrounding her


How? Resources

• Utilize Social Security Work Incentives such as Plan to Achieve Self-Support and Ticket to Work.

-Example: In December 2009, there were 79,789 Ohio residents who receive both SSI and SSDI (Perfect PASS Potential) . The Average PASS = $7,000/year or $558,523,000 potential for use towards a work goal.

-There are 11,680 residents of Cuyahoga Co. who receive both SSI and SSDI ($81,760,000).


Stories

• Jesse’s Beverages, Bar Rags, and Wash House

• No Work History• Business-Within-a-

Business• New Services• Very Impoverished

Town (Supposedly No Jobs!)


Stories

• Davis Lawn and Garden Services

• No Work History• But Running a Hobby

Business All His Life


Stories

• Sweet Wrappers 4 You• Personalized Labels

(Special Events, Business Marketing)

• No Work History• Family Supports


Stories

• FireStorm Tanning and Spa Services

• Business-Within-a-Business Idea


Stories

Poppin Joe’s Kettle Korn

• Joe (his family’s dream for Joe at age 15 was for Joe to become employed)

• & then build liquid resources for Joe to purchase his own home someday

• & retain Medicaid & SSI eligibility plus have access to flexible cash


Stories

Nick’s Copy ServiceNick today is a business owner in his local community, pays taxes, is developing a strong customer and supplier network (relationships), and Nick’s mother is the first to tell you, “Nick is making money, he is really enjoying himself. You can tell he feels he has a purpose for leaving the house in the morning, and the business is growing slowly but

surely.”


Stories

Morgan ComputerConsulting• Glen’s stated goal was

financial flexibility and owning his own home within 3 years of becoming wage or self-employed

• Without losing Medicaid


Stories (Resource Ownership)

Christian

• 20 years working in a sheltered workshop.

• Negotiated a Full-Time job using Customized Employment strategies.

• Resource Ownership• Multiple Funding

Sources


Stories (Resource Ownership)

Jimmie• Spend down for

Medicaid• Advised to buy a burial

fund• Negotiated a job in a

“town without jobs”


So What!!!


•Where are the Prospective Business Owners and Job Seekers?

•Be a Community Action Team (CAT) Member!

•Training on the 7th.

•Get to Work!

Thank You!


•Russell Sickles, Griffin-Hammis, Associates

[email protected]

304-612-4297

•Melanie Hogan, LEAP

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Assets and Neighbors Initiative

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