Single Post

Naples, Fl – The David Lawrence Centers, Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit mental health and substance use treatment facility serving children, adults and families, is pleased to announce that Bank of America has awarded the Center a $5,000 grant to fund the Supported Employment Services program for low- and middle-income individuals in our community with mental illness who struggle to find jobs. Bank of America’s investment will help expand the services to more individuals in need and improve the lives of those living with mental illness in Southwest Florida.

For many individuals with mental illness, employment is a primary goal. Having a steady job can contribute to their recovery and sense of independence and self-worth. Employment offers opportunities for socialization and camaraderie. It also reduces a person’s need of family as well as state and federal funding support.

Supported employment is rooted in the premise that all individuals can and should be an integral part of their communities, productive and highly valued. The Supported Employment Services program helps clients find jobs that match their preferences and capabilities and helps eliminate barriers to employment such as limited job experience, education and training.

David Lawrence Centers President and CEO Scott Burgess said, “David Lawrence Centers is proud to partner with Bank of America to connect those with unique employment challenges who we serve to the training and education they need to secure and retain jobs with livable wages. These life-changing services help change the trajectory of individuals living with mental illness so they can become empowered, independent and integrated fully into the community.”

Supported Employment Services are offered to adults with a diagnosed mental health disorder and/or co-existing deficits in one or more areas of functioning. Case managers provide employment resources to assist clients with entering the workforce and maintaining strong employment relationships. The program helps individuals with vocational goal setting, job readiness, resume preparation, interviewing skills, personal hygiene, referrals to vocational training programs, as well as job placement and coaching. Through the program, incidental funds are also available to assist clients with obtaining appropriate work clothes, haircuts and gas/bus passes.

The overall goal of the Supported Employment Services program is to help individuals achieve stability so that they are able to lead richer, more satisfying lives.

“Investing in our workforce is one of the ways we are addressing issues fundamentally connected to economic mobility,” said Gerri Moll, Fort Myers/Naples market president, Bank of America. “We’re proud to partner with nonprofit organizations like the David Lawrence Centers that are helping to build a more sustainable community.”

David Lawrence Centers is the Southwest Florida-based, not-for-profit leading provider of behavioral health solutions dedicated to inspiring and creating life-changing wellness for every individual. The Center provides innovative, comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, residential and community based prevention and treatment services for the one in four local children and adults who experience mental health, emotional, psychological and substance use challenges. David Lawrence Centers has seven locations in Collier County and touches the lives of more than 50,000 people each year. For more information about David Lawrence Centers call (239) 491-7602 or visit www.DavidLawrenceCenter.org.

####