Program Description

Program/Practice Description: Spexcell is a small contractor partnered with Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) that assists TANF recipients, primarily African-American single mothers, confront mental health issues and find employment. Often, these customers have no high school diploma and minimal work experience. Spexcell works with 20-30 clients per month and provides wraparound support to customers. Spexcell uses an empowerment curriculum and a job readiness curriculum to help customers communicate, deal with internal barriers, and transition into successful employment.

Background/Program History: The program began in 1998 and came to Fulton County in March 2007. Prior to its implementation, DFCS had a larger TANF caseload and many applicants were returning to the system. At first Spexcell worked only with returning TANF applicants, with positive results, but then opened the program to first time TANF participants with internal barriers. When the Deficit Reduction Act passed and the Federal government began to emphasize work participation rates and core activities, the program modified its operations from being focused only on mental health barrier removal to involving a greater focus on work. The program still includes a significant number of TANF returnees.

Innovations and Results: Spexcell is a unique program in that it does not limit service to those with documented mental health issues. Spexcell recognizes that for so many low-income women, internal barriers persist and must be properly managed before directing a participant to meaningful work. The Fulton County DFCS office shares this belief and refers returning TANF participants to Spexcell for help, guided by the belief that no woman truly wants to remain on cash assistance. Although the program has not been under contract with DFCS long enough to track results, its operations in other counties reveal its success with a very hard-to-serve group of TANF participants. In Muskoge, Spexcell had an 88 percent placement rate and 90 percent retention. In Albany, the organization posted 88 percent placement and 100 percent retention. The company currently operates four program offices.

Operations: During week one, career assessment and personal assessment are scheduled. A 120-question assessment helps the women identify what type of job they would like to have to build their work experience. Weeks two through four Feature Work Experience and Survival Skills for Women, with a curriculum that helps women address their internal barriers, learn anger management skills, and confront mental health and other issues. Work place survival skills and job hunting are emphasized during weeks five through eight. During the final weeks of the program, Spexcell uses a recently developed work-focused curriculum to help clients prepare for the workplace. Overall, Spexcell incorporates a number of different elements, such as work experience, internal healing sessions, support groups, job circuits, and others the clients need.