Survivor Training and Empowerment-Utilizing your Potential (STEP-UP)

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

Survivor Training and Empowerment-Utilizing your Potential (STEP-UP)/ STEP-UP 2 WORK is a training and empowerment program for women who are survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as women diverted from the criminal justice system after an allegation of public assistance fraud. The programs empower women with the personal, professional, and financial skills to begin reconstructing their lives and the lives of their children and to ultimately break the cycle of violence and poverty. STEP-UP is offered in both Spanish and English. STEP-UP is a seven-week financial literacy, employment, and empowerment program that also provides the opportunity to discuss the dynamics of domestic violence and its impact on families and communities. Each module offers empowerment sessions, professional development, English-as-a-Second-Language, financial literacy, computer basics, job search and interviewing techniques. After successfully completing STEP-UP, each woman is eligible to apply to the STEP-UP 2 TO WORK program. This is a six-month long program that requires 20 hours per week of class time focused on professional skill building. During and after training, students begin earning income by working on client projects in a safe, supportive, and nondiscriminatory environment.