CMCA offers employment coaching and job training services through SkillUP and the Financial Opportunity Center.  Data below indicates the year-to-date numbers of CMCA members receiving employment coaching who have obtained and maintained steady employment for 90 days.  

Interested in finding a job?  Apply for SkillUP here!

Approximately 14.4% of people in CMCA's service area are living in poverty.  That's over 51,400 people!  Of those living in poverty, 23.9% are children, 7.1% are seniors, and 69% are adults aged 18-64.  Most working-age adults are working, as the 2019 employment rate for CMCA's service area is 97.4%.  The amount of money an individual or family needs to earn in order to make ends meet is called a living wage.  The living wage varies by family size and county.  Imagine a family with two working adults and one child.   Across the CMCA service area, the living wage, or the amount that each adult would need to earn, ranges from $14.33 to $16.75.  The minimum hourly wage in Missouri is $10.30.   Many families with two adults working full time are not able to afford rent, groceries, transportation, and other necessities without assistance. 

Programs like SkillUP and the Financial Opportunity Center help CMCA members get the training, education, and soft skills they need to get and keep higher paying jobs through employment coaching.   Members are also connected to work supports, such as transportation and child care, depending on individual circumstances.  Through financial coaching, CMCA members learn financial management skills such as budgeting, reducing expenses, improving credit scores, and starting savings plans.  By helping people find and keep living wage jobs and improve their financial management skills, CMCA supports families in becoming more resilient and in breaking the cycle of poverty. 

Interested in supporting CMCA in this endeavor?  Click here to find out how you can help.

Sources:

1. U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). 2019: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1701.

2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Annual Average County Data, Labor force data by county, 2019 annual averages.

3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Employment status of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, annual averages, by state, 2019.

4. Glasmeier, Amy K. Living Wage Calculator. 2020. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

SkillUP is a free program that helps Food Stamp (SNAP) recipients get help with skills, training, and employer connections to get a job (or a better job). A SkillUP job coach works with a CMCA member to create an individual plan to help them reach their goals and start a new career. The SkillUP program can also help participants:

• Get needed skills through workshops and classes
• Pay for short-term training and certifications
• Pay for some daycare, work, or training costs
• Understand their job skills and what they are interested in
• Update or create a resume so employers can see their skills
• Connect participants with employers

The Financial Opportunity Center became active in April 2021, during the third quarter of the agency's fiscal year.  FOCs pair individuals with Financial and Employment Coaches to co-create financial freedom plans. Coaches support individuals with tools and resources that allow them to navigate the complexities of increasing income, decreasing expenses and acquiring assets.  The FOC model is built on four interlocking components: Financial Coaching, Career Coaching, Income Supports and a Shared Data System.  Click here to see how it works.

Interested in helping CMCA make an impact in your community?  Click here to learn more.

The Financial Opportunity Center is provided in partnership with Rural LISC.  With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America - great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families.

SkillUP services are provided in partnership with the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division.  The SkillUP Program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).  The program is also funded through the Administration for Children and Families, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant.

Interested in partnering with CMCA?  Click here to learn more about how you can help.