Employment

“Having Fountain House members work for you is an advantage you may not find in the traditional work force.  The members value the opportunity being afforded them and therefore truly strive to give you 110%.  They are goal-focused and not distracted by the typical office politics — meaning you give them a job, it gets done, period.”

—Steven Schwartz, Senior Vice President, Director of Office Services, RE: SOURCES USA

“Doors would not open for me. Not even for vocational rehabilitation. Fountain House was a new beginning for a new productive life.” —Gladys

Helping members find and keep real jobs for real wages within the larger community has been a primary goal of Fountain House since our founding.  To that end, we have developed innovative strategies to support our members — on and off the job — and a network of corporate partners with whom we work closely.

We cultivate a broad spectrum of opportunities tailored to the unique needs of each member and employer.  In collaboration with these companies, we are able to create everything from heavily supported situations, where Fountain House staff may provide job training, on-site support, or absence coverage to less supported situations, where we may only provide a referral to the employer, to anything in-between.

Members and employers alike reap numerous benefits from working with Fountain House.  For our members, the rewards are obvious and identical to the advantages that we all might name with regard to our jobs: financial stability, productivity, fulfillment of aspiration, a place in society. Companies we relate to stand to gain enthusiastic and well-trained employees; reduced costs in benefits, recruitment and training; the power of our organization as a kind of Employee Assistance Benefit (EAB) program; and the social investment in our members rejoining society through paid work.

Besides directly facilitating employment opportunities, we encourage members to discover and pursue their own professional goals. Our services include the following:

Members and staff provide expert assistance with resume and cover letter composition and with job-related computer skills (such as internet searches, on-line application submissions).

Mock interviews allow our members to sharpen their skills in preparation for the real thing.

Our Career Committee introduces members to our friends across multiple industries. The Committee provides reliable industry feedback and real networking opportunities, with the ultimate goal of connecting members to permanent employment.

We refer members to organizations that provide clothing appropriate for interviews and corporate jobs.

A mentoring program connects members to appropriate professional advisers.

Monthly gatherings for those who are working provide peer support for employed members and inspiration to job seekers.

Social Cooperatives

Recently, Fountain House has been exploring how Social Cooperatives [1] may be added to the existing employment opportunities available to our members. Last year we supported our first Social Cooperative, La Luna Inc., a catering business run entirely by five partners — all members who had gained valuable experience working on other jobs through Fountain House.

We provided a start-up loan (which was paid back in 4 months) and an advisory board. The partners of La Luna did the rest — from preparing meals to becoming incorporated, from accounting to training new employees. Unexpectedly La Luna was so successful that the cooperative actually hired other members to work fill-in shifts. La Luna finished their one-year contract with their client, The Lantern Group, and now has a number of competitive bids in with other city organizations.

Our pilot program with La Luna suggests that there is a real possibility for future Social Cooperatives in a variety of labor intensive businesses. Currently we are considering industries such as interior horticulture/landscape care, courier services, pest control, and even a social cooperative to aid and develop new cooperatives.

[1] In Europe, Japan and Canada these businesses are referred to as social enterprises/firms, but in the US, the term “social enterprise” is much more broadly defined.