Our Mission
Just Work is a New England-based non-profit focused on increasing employment readiness and community connection. We serve individuals suffering from the impacts of systemic poverty, generational trauma, substance use disorder, justice system involvement, and displacement. Through evidence-based peer coaching practices, we increase individuals’ access to recovery supports, housing and transportation resources, food security, and employment readiness. Participants gain the tools to address barriers, providing foundational elements for stability, community connection and wellbeing.
We partner closely with Working Fields, a mission-driven staffing agency that connects resilient jobseekers with engaged employers, as well as hundreds of other social service agencies across New England.
WHY (the problem)
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Communities across the country are impacted by the issues we seek to address.
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2.3 million Americans are justice involved
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48.7 million Americans experience a substance use disorder
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Over 500,000 Americans experienced homelessness last year
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Estimated 188,000 refugees/asylum seekers have entered the US since 2023
Everyone who walks through our doors has a story and a unique set of strengths and challenges. Yet they all want the same thing: to feel valued, and to have a fair chance at a stable and fulfilling life. The path to finding employment, housing, transportation, recovery and mental health supports can be overwhelming.
HOW (the solution)
The Just Work solution is based in the practice of peer coaching. Peer coaches are trained professionals who build trust based on shared lived experiences. The pillars of peer coaching are motivational interviewing and connection to resources. Coaches meet people where they are, connecting with resources to meet their goals.
Some of the services Just Work provides include:
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Job Readiness: resume and interview preparation, skills mapping, connection to training and credentialing
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Transportation Services: bringing individuals to interviews and job placements
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Treatment Court: wraparound support and incentives to increase success rates of court diversion programs
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Financial support: reimbursements and incentives to ease the transition from unemployment into the workplace
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Smart phones: essential for employment, and have become basic need for stability and connection
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Resource navigation: help finding resources for housing, transportation, substance use, legal services, language services, child care, and mental health.
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Healthcare: assistance managing gaps caused moving from Medicaid to private insurance.
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Just Work also addresses the systemic barriers facing the population we serve through community education and legislative outreach.
JOIN US (our ask)
With your support, we can expand our impact in the following ways:
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Just Work Coach Academy: We are developing a peer coaching academy, based on the evidence-based CCAR model, with additional modules for re-entry and employment support. The Academy is being developed out of Working Fields’ eight years of experience connecting individuals with barriers to peer coaching to increase employment success.
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Re-entry Services: Just Work will continue and expand a Department of Corrections re-entry employment pilot program. This program provides individuals with a peer coach who works with them from the last 90 days of incarceration through the community re-entry period. The goal is to increase job placement and retention for individuals coming out of incarceration.
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Transportation program expansion: We currently have one van on the road in St. Albans. We seek to expand our transportation program across our service area (Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts).
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Peer Coach workforce: Peer coaching is the core of our supportive employment model. Funding will maintain and expand our peer coach workforce across the regions we operate.
For more information, to financial support Just Work, or to learn about becoming a peer coach please submit contact form below.
