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UJIMA currently partners with
Houston area apartment communities, providing full and part-time staff
to coordinate the social services of the on-site community centers for
its residents and surrounding population, including the management of
three HUD Neighborhood Network centers. HUD created Neighborhood
Networks in 1995 to encourage property owners to establish
multi-service community learning centers in HUD insured and assisted
properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal
initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer
access to low-income housing communities.
UJIMA Social Service
Coordinators are equipped to facilitate six key areas of service
delivery through strategic collaboration with community schools,
colleges, libraries, local businesses and corporations, religious
institutions, community-based organizations, local police and fire
departments, hospitals, public housing authorities, property owners and
managers, and nonprofit organizations. Each partnering community
institution supports its respective community center with resources
such as experts, programs, equipment, space and facilities, job
opportunities and funding sources.
UJIMA serves 1,950 apartment
units and their surrounding communities, 1,375 of which are Section 8
housing, totaling approximately 5,850 persons and 1,890 households. 89%
of the service population is African American and 82% are female single
parent head of households with multiple children. Per our needs
assessment survey administered to approximately 30% of our service
population, 65% of the residents have completed some high school, 40%
have a high school diploma or GED, less than 15% have some college or
two year degrees and approximately 8% have four-year degrees. The
majority of the residents surveyed indicated a minimal computer
literacy level and declared a high unemployment rate with dependence on
public assistance. Less than 3% of surveyed residents are self-employed.
Service Components
The six service
components of UJIMA are
as follows:
1.Case Management
The Social Service Coordinator (SSC), staff member of UJIMA, Inc.,
meets with each resident and assists them in completing an
individualized Needs Assessment and Personal Success Plan (PSP). Based
on the information indicated in the PSP, the SSC connects the residents
with local social service programs and applicable partners, and
monitors their progress on a monthly basis in achieving the benchmarks
indicated within their PSP.
2. Resident Council Support
The SSC provides support, maintenance and continuing education to the
existing resident council. Where a council is not in existence, UJIMA
assists in establishing a viable resident council on the property to
ensure that all residents are guaranteed opportunities to uniformly
participate in the decisions affecting their homes and surrounding
communities. The SSC assists the residents in compiling and
distributing a resident newsletter to increase resident advocacy.
3. Educational & Special
Event Sponsorship
UJIMA organizes and sponsors special programs that address selected
issues of interest to the entire resident population. Programs are
determined based on the participation and input of the resident
council. Where more specialized interests are expressed, UJIMA provides
linkages to applicable community partners to thoroughly address said
interest. Activities included in this component are Computer Literacy
Training, GED/ABE/ESL Classes, Job Readiness Training, Health Fairs,
Employment Referral Service, and After-School Programs.
4. Self-Sufficiency
Training and Support Group Assistance
UJIMA promotes and establishes programs designed to increase levels of
self-sufficiency among the residents. SSC makes a list of
resources available to all residents to aid in the formation of
self-help and support groups to address social issues identified by the
resident council and the Needs Assessments of individual
residents. The primary scope of the programs focuses on HEAL
– Healthy Lifestyles, Economic Development, Academic
Enrichment, and Legal Awareness . Efforts to enhance the
personal development of the residents are offered in the form of
workshops with licensed professionals and para-professionals in areas
of Economic Empowerment, Job Placement and Maintenance, Small Business
Development, Financial Management, Parenting Skills Training and
Mentoring, Nutrition, Health, Fitness, Substance Abuse and STD/HIV
Prevention and Education, Counseling, and Home Ownership for both adult
and youth residents.
5. Service Directory Compilation
SSC makes available to all residents a comprehensive listing of
external services and agencies available to address specific needs.
Periodically, service providers are invited to present the scope of
their services to the residents and their procedures for accessing
these services. In addition, UJIMA, Inc. coordinates a barter system of
service exchange among the residents in each site.
6. Service Monitoring and Reporting
SSC maintains contact with participating families to ensure the
effectiveness of the social service programs in which they participate
through the completion of program evaluations. The SSC also monitors
checkpoints with each resident to assess the success of the completion
of their PSP. The SSC also provides a written monthly Progress Report
to UJIMA and the management of each site regarding the progress made in
the proceeding month based on the service delivery components outlined
above. SSC also work with management to forge collaborations for the
effective sustainability of the programs.
Communities We Serve
In 2005, UJIMA community centers reaped
significant programmatic and collaborative accomplishments including
job training workshops, resulting in more than half of program
participants establishing employment; community savings programs,
offering 450 residents the opportunity to receive up to a $1,000 match
of saved money for higher education, home buying, or a small business;
six-week financial literacy classes, informing residents of the
financial basics and resulting in residents clearing past credit
mistakes and learning how to maintain a balanced checking account.
In addition,
each community center maintains on-site day and evening GED and
computer classes, providing instruction on computer hardware and
commonly used software packages. Children and youth participate in
weekly after-school programs and summer camps that focus on literacy.
In addition, youth participate in free group therapy sessions, Boy/Girl
Scouts and mentoring programs. The most significant accomplishment of UJIMA in 2005 has been a 680%
increase in the resident full and part-time volunteerism (from 10 to 68
persons) through our Volunteer to Work initiative, providing
opportunities to learn and apply critical soft skills and gain work
experience that has translated to employment outside the community
center for 24 residents.
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