Julie Reposa Agency Profiles

The Successful Futures Program at Helping People Succeed: Expanding Options for Volunteering and Employment

HPSHelping People Succeed (HPS) is a service provider headquartered in Jensen Beach, in Martin County. Since it was established over 50 years ago by parents wanting a better quality of life for their children with disabilities, HPS has evolved its programs and services to meet changing attitudes toward people with disabilities. It has grown to serve children and adults with disabilities and their families in four Florida counties.

Successful Futures, HPS’s adult services program, includes two programs that assist people to enter directly into employment. Project Search, an internship program adopted by many service providers nationwide, is available for students transitioning from school. The Employment Options program supports adults through job development and job coaching services.
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Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

CareerSource Florida partners with organizations to address barriers that often coexist with disabilities

CareerSource Florida is the statewide agency responsible for compliance with workforce-related legislation. It creates policies that local workforce boards implement to increase community access to work opportunities. CareerSource Florida often collaborates with other agencies to organize job fairs, conferences, and other opportunities to connect the business community with job seekers, including those with disabilities.

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Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

DMS & HRM: Collaboration toward inclusive employment

The Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) serves as the business arm of Florida state government by providing workforce and business operational support to Florida’s state agencies, also known as the State Personnel System (SPS). One of DMS’ nine divisions, Human Resource Management (HRM), serves the SPS by providing lawful, effective, and efficient human resource programs and services that attract, develop, retain, and reward a high-performance workforce. One of the ways HRM supports the SPS is by providing training, templates, roundtable discussions, and other resources that assist state agencies in their efforts to recruit and retain ethnic minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

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Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

Credentialing job seekers through the Ready to Work project

The Florida Ready To Work portal was designed and funded by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity as a workforce development tool. Job seekers use this tool to learn and test themselves on functional workplace skills, while employers use it to make more confident hiring decisions.

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Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

The Rural Routes to Employment Project: Using Communities’ Social Capital to Find Employment

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) has been a key player over the last decade as Florida’s state agencies have formed strong partnerships to expand employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The FDDC and other partners have noted the need for agencies at the local level to replicate state-level partnerships to bridge the persistent employment gap for people with IDD.

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