Encore Programs, Inc.

The three areas of support we seek in general operating costs include: 1) Improve psychotherapy services at CAVA with the addition of 2 new clinical staff and expansion of services to meet the broader needs of the community; 2) Expand the pre­vocational programs we already have in place at Encore and CAVA to provide community inclusion opportunities for our population; 3) Increase collaboration with other agencies providing services & resources to our population with intellectual disabilities. By developing these services, we hope to take the first step in meeting impending needs and lay the groundwork for further expansion into services like case management that address not just emotional/behavioral issues but build skills and self-confidence to participate more fully and completely as contributing members of their immediate communities. This goal of greater inclusion benefits not only this population but the larger communities in which they live and help to reduce discrimination.

Our immediate objectives are to broaden our funding sources to include greater emphasis upon grants, building our donation base, particularly among funding sources beyond traditional foundations and fundraisers. We also want to cement our relationship with Cal State Long Beach, our current source for recruiting interns in social work who we very often hire after they've completed their graduate studies. The Graduate Program in Social Work has been a great source of skilled professional labor in therapeutic services. Looking further ahead, Encore Programs will participate in state wide efforts to reform the reimbursement rate structure currently used by DDS to fund current programs and expand into services that policy changes will require.

Due to the impact of the Coronavirus, we have adapted to the various restrictions by establishing online classes and therapy sessions for our clients while the state wide "Stay in Shelter" restrictions are in force. These classes run from simple lectures posted on YouTube to interactive classes in Google Classroom and Zoom. We also offer classes through the local community colleges via their platforms to some of our clients. We anticipate that these digital services will continue even after restrictions are lifted because of cautionary behaviors most people have adopted and because a few of our clients have been home bound due to injuries and chronic health problems but are still in need of services.

Although we need additional staff to implement these goals the staff we do have is able to meet multiple responsibilities, at present. We also have active participation by member of our Board of Directors in outreach, networking business and corporate support, and we have a well established volunteer base whose efforts in fundraising are providing us with seed monies for our various projects to judge which approaches may work over others without committing operating funds to these efforts. This approach gives us some opportunities to test approaches. We also benefit from a core group of three therapists, one of whom is the program manager, who work closely together in developing strategies to meet the personal goals of our populations. Add to this the university internship program to provide part-time staff and we have the solid foundation for further expansion.

Insofar as therapeutic services are concerned, Encore Programs (CAVA) is the only service provider vendored by the State in Orange County, CA, offering individual and group therapy and counseling for adults with developmental disabilities. In addition, our vocational arts programs are spread across both CAVA and Encore and include practical instruction in industrial arts like woodworking (also a rare offering), a viable store and marketplace to sell hand crafted items by clients to the general public. We also have begun to experiment with job coaching services like resume building, job interview practice and basic work skills. Many of CAVA's clients have previous work experience and seek to return to the job market. Given the opportunities provided by additional funding, we believe we can add a Case Management component to our services that will support and guide clients in their efforts to find a job and keep it.