”When you`ve had a mental problem, you need all the help you can get finding and keeping a job,” said Kenneth Orr.
When Orr, 33, a former mental patient, was ready to re-enter the work force, help came from Thresholds, a nonprofit, state-funded organization designed to put people who have had mental problems back into the mainstream of society.
”I think that if I would have just gone straight to work after leaving the hospital, I wouldn`t have made it,” said Orr, who works as a messenger and mail clerk at the law firm of Sidley & Austin. ”Thresholds gave me what I needed to build my self-esteem.”
Through the jobs program at Thresholds, 2700 N. Lakeview Ave., anyone over age 18 who has had a mental disorder and wants a job gets in-depth orientation into the work world.
Training begins in simulated job settings, where basics such as housekeeping, cooking, janitorial and clerical work are taught.
”Our aim at this stage is not to produce chefs, housekeepers or clerks,” said Jay Foreman, assistant director of Thresholds, which was founded by the National Council of Jewish Women in 1959. ”We want to restore self-confidence and pride. They`ll need them for success in the real work environment.”
After the simulated work settings at Threshold offices, training goes on to real jobs that are supervised by Threshold staffers. Most are in factories. ”The supervised work setting allows our people the chance to earn an income, travel to a job and work in a supervised industrial setting,” Foreman said. ”It`s a small step, but small steps let our people slowly gain confidence to go out into the work world.”
The next step in the job process is unsupervised work independent of Thresholds. Employers such as Time & Life Inc., Central Community Hospital and Arthur Anderson & Co. hire people for entry-level jobs. The average salary of graduates, working independently, is $6 an hour. Most are working in janitorial positions.
”I think we`re getting good employees who really want to work and who are grateful for the job,” said Doris Mias, assistant to the administrator at Sidley & Austin, which employs 10 Thresholds graduates. This year, the law firm was named employer of the year by the agency.
Once on the job, workers get continued support. Mock interviews, resume-writing seminars, a job club, counselors and support groups are available.
”Helping people get jobs is the most important thing we do, after keeping them out of the hospital,” Foreman said. ”If we can help them become economically independent, then they can help themselves in other areas.”
