Supported Employment

General Information

Supported Employment is the basis for all SERP services. SERP’s goal is to give all individuals who so choose the opportunity for employment at a reasonable wage.

Services

Supported Employment Program

Individuals choosing employment will be assisted to find a job of their choice. Many methods may be used to arrive at the goal, including community-based assessment with opportunities to try out on some real jobs and do some job exploration in the community.

When appropriate, SERP partners with the Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Department. With the assistance of skilled vocational rehabilitation counselors, additional supports are available to assure successful employment.

Work Program

We direct a parking lot cleaning crew Monday through Friday. It starts at 8:00 am. AM crew wraps up and is back to SERP by noon. AM workers are gone by 1:00pm.

The crew sweeps lots in Portland / Vancouver area using brooms, dustpans, and a garbage can. We also have a small crew that cleans a large church lot downtown. After finishing they may have another lot or two to clean.

We also have a lot crew that works from 12:00 to 4:00 or 5:00 pm. They do the same work as the AM crews. They also use the broom and dustpan. They clean lots in the Portland area.

We also have a lawn crew that works limited days in the winter time. Wed and Fri afternoons. In the summer the crews also work on Monday afternoons.

To work on these crews a person needs to be able to: Climb into the work van, ride in the van to job sites while getting along with coworkers, receive direction from staff, and follow through tasks assigned with prompts. We work five days a week and would like clients to be to work consistently. Most of our clients attend SERP between 20 and 25 hours per week. Not all time is spent on the job sites; after work is finished the crew will be in the community in various activities.

Youth Group

General Information

At Youth Group we cater to younger clients that are able to have more independence in their life. Our day consists of going to work and going out in the community to increase social integration.

We have janitorial work and work cleaning parking lots in the community. All of our jobs pay minimum wage.

We try to do community outings every day. Depending on the time of year they could include: Bowling, movies, parks, different stores of the clients' choosing, and workouts at Olympic Gym.

We take clients to the bank every pay period to cash their paychecks to help clients learn common banking terms and work on money management skills.

The clients that come to this program like coming to this program and look forward to seeing their friends and staff there.

Day Support Services

General Information

This program is designed to serve individuals who are not employed. The reasons these individuals are not working are varied and include age, choice, etc. In addition, some individuals may work part-time and participate in this program as a supplement to their work time.

Activities are designed with input from the participants. A monthly calendar is then produced. In addition, secondary activities are suggested. Individuals are encouraged to select the activity of most interest. Participants are also encouraged to try new experiences in the community.

Attendance and participation in this program covers a very wide range. Some attend five days, 25 hours per week. Others attend only a few days or a few hours per day or week.

Some individuals attend before or after their regular school hours (SERP Gresham is open until 5:00 pm, M-Th). Some school age students attend during school breaks.

Individuals attending on a part-time basis along with their families are encouraged to view the monthly calendar (to the left) to select and schedule certain activities.

Although SERP does provide some large group activities such as camping, we design most activities to be undertaken in small groups to encourage more community integration.