Program Proposal

Somerset SOARS (Skills, Opportunities, Access, Resources, Support)

The Somerset SOARS (Skills, Opportunities, Access, Resources, Support) program is a

comprehensive workforce development strategy aimed at reconnecting youth ages 16 to 24 with
prior justice system involvement who are not working and not in school to college and workforce
training opportunities. The program supports two of the Somerset County Local Management
Board’s focus areas of connecting youth to employment or career readiness, and supporting safe
and economically stable families in the community.
The Somerset SOARS program will support first-generation and justice-involved youths
ages 16-24 by eliminating impediments to education and employment, including lack of financial
support and transportation, and by applying the evidence-based strategy of family/service
navigation to college access and workforce training.

Statement of Need
Despite having a relatively small population of 25,859 according to U. S. Bureau of the
Census estimates, Somerset County, a rural jurisdiction on the Lower Eastern Shore of
Maryland, is characterized by high levels of generational poverty and unemployment. There are
limited community resources to address social concerns, but the county has an elevateds high
school dropout rate, low level of educational attainment, and few recreational and out-of-school
time activities for youth.
As part of its 2016 Needs Assessment and Community Planning process, the Somerset
County Local Management Board estimated that there are 509 disconnected youths in Somerset
County, or 9.5% of the population. The American Opportunity Index estimates a much higher
percentage of 15.7%, or 880 disconnected youths. The consequences or risks of disconnection
include low levels of educational attainment, family instability, juvenile justice or child welfare
involvement, family poverty, welfare receipt, teen parenthood, and substance abuse. Youths who
leave school and do not become part of the workforce may have difficulty gaining the skills and
knowledge needed to attain self-sufficiency and become contributing taxpayers and participants
in civic life.
The consequences or risks of disconnection include low levels of educational attainment,
family instability, juvenile justice or child welfare involvement, family poverty, welfare receipt,
teen parenthood, and substance abuse. Youths who leave school and do not become part of the
workforce may have difficulty gaining the skills and knowledge needed to attain self-sufficiency
and become contributing taxpayers and participants in civic life. Disconnected youths tend to live
below the poverty line, have unemployed parents, suffer from physical or mental disability,
experience homelessness or insecure housing, and live in racially segregated neighborhoods.
The U.S. Bureau of Census’ American Community Survey data indicates that about 20
percent of Somerset County’s young adults have less than a high school education with a
negative trend of this figure increasing. This compares with about 12 percent statewide. On the
other hand, over the past five years about 42 percent of Somerset youths have a high school
degree or equivalent while that figure is only 28 percent across the state.
The percentage of Somerset County’s young adults, ages 16-24, in the labor force has
shown a steady decline, dropping from 43.6 percent in 2010 to just 30.4 percent in 2014.
Overall, youth in Maryland participate in the labor force at nearly double the rate of youth in
Somerset County. According to the 2014 data, of the 5,592 young people in the county between
the ages of 16 and 24 nearly 3,900 were not in the labor force at 69.6 percent.
Lack of job opportunities in Somerset County was the most often mentioned concern
among key informants during the needs assessment process. Some interviewees were fearful that
education has not been enough of a priority in the county to adequately prepare youth for taking
their place in the world of work; and there was also some fear that employers of today need a
different labor force than is available in Somerset. A focus group comprised of disconnected
youth said they struggle to find work. They listed a number of concrete barriers that complicate
job search and employment, including lack of confidence in preparing for interviews,
transportation, and the lack of affordable childcare.

Program Overview
The SOARS program will re-engage disconnected youths who are first-generation
college students or have a history of justice system involvement by eliminating impediments to
education and employment, including lack of financial support and transportation, and by
applying the evidence-based strategy of systems navigation to workforce training. The program
will offer college level courses and occupational training in up to six key sectors, including
health care, construction, technology, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, to serve
disconnected individuals from distressed Somerset County neighborhoods.
The program will offer occupational training in up to six key sectors including health
care, construction, technology, manufacturing, transportation and logistics to serve disconnected
individuals from distressed Somerset County neighborhoods. The SCLMB will work with Wor-
Wic Community College and Somerset County Public Schools to provide college-level courses
and continuing education occupational skills training in the relevant sectors. The training
program will leverage the resources of workforce development partners to ensure that trainees
have access to a full range of supportive services with the goal of improving the overall job
readiness and placement of disconnected individuals.
In addition to coursework, the program will include occupational skills training that
includes job readiness and life skills improvement components. The training will be coupled with
comprehensive case management, employment services, and job placement. It is expected that
program graduates will earn at least one industry recognized certification or an associate’s
degree, and be able to earn a starting wage of at least $11 per hour.
The program will include intensive, neighborhood-based outreach to youth and young
adult residents in Somerset County who are in need of education or workforce training,
employment, and support services. The program will recruit unemployed and under-employed
youth and young adults at the neighborhood level; conduct comprehensive, up-front assessments
resulting in customized college and career plans; and facilitate participant linkages to critical
work supports and barrier removal resources. As appropriate, and dependent upon candidates’
determined level of readiness, the program will broker participants’ respective access to training
or coaching for placement in an initial work opportunity.
The candidate recruitment efforts are targeted to serve low-income, first-generation or
justice-system involved, 16 to 24 year-old un- and underemployed Somerset County residents
that: possess little or no work history; possess a criminal record, have no more than a high school
diploma or GED equivalent; and, reside in more economically distressed neighborhoods of the
county. The program will promote candidate access to critical work supports and supportive
services, such as tutoring and developmental education or GED, mental health and substance
abuse treatment, financial education, public benefits, child support intermediation, child care,
criminal records expungement, affordable housing; and provide intensive case management
follow-up to ensure participant connection to needed supports.
Caseworkers will perform a comprehensive needs assessment at the point of participant
enrollment, resulting in a customized and documented service plan for each individual. Each
student will receive personalized assistance to identify and eliminate a wide range of
employment barriers including but not limited to reading or math skills, a criminal background,
transportation, child support, and childcare.

Implementation
The SCLMB’s executive director will provide program and grant management,
overseeing all aspects of the SOARS program. The executive director will be the direct
supervisor for two part-time case managers and a team of volunteers, and will negotiate and
manage contracts with sub-vendors for provision of targeted training activities. SCLMB will
contract with Wor-Wic Community College and Somerset County Public Schools to provide
college-level and certificate courses. The program will cover cost of registration, supplies, and
transportation for participants.
Volunteers will conduct intensive, neighborhood-based outreach to youth and young
adult residents in Somerset County who are in need of training, employment, and support
services. The program will recruit unemployed and under-employed youth and young adults at
the neighborhood level. SCLMB will provide registration and intensive case management for
program participants using in-house staff, with support from volunteers. Case managers will
register, provide systems navigation and support for program participants. Two part-time case
managers will be hired and assume a caseload of 20 participants each. Case managers will
conduct comprehensive initial assessments, develop customized service and career plans for
participants and facilitate connections to work supports.
In conjunction with the SCLMB community coalition, SCLMB staff will review program
data, evaluate both end-of-program and final progress toward meeting program goals, develop
written reports, and submit both interim and final reports to the board of directors and the grant
funder.

Marketing and Promotion

Marking and promotional needs for the SOARS program will be handled in-house using
volunteers and a cross-sectors partnership with local government agencies, community
organizations, and nonprofits. Volunteers will work in partnership with a diverse set of
neighborhood stakeholders to increase awareness of available college and workforce training
options, placement and barrier removal opportunities, as well as requisites for successful entry.
The SCLMB will leverage its existing network of public and private partners to market
the program to the targeted population and recruit participants. Volunteers will work closely with
human services providers, including juvenile services, social services, homeless shelters, food
pantries, behavioral health providers, parole and probation, and local churches, to identify
potential participants. They will conduct outreach and interest meetings at the libraries and
community centers in Princess Anne and Crisfield, Somerset County’s two population centers,
and distribute informational flyers and registration forms throughout the county.
Information about the program will be posted on the SCLMB website and social media
accounts, with links provided to those of community partners. An online interest form will allow
potential participants to request more information about the program. Volunteers will follow-up
with individuals referred to the program by partner agencies and well as those who submit online
interest forms to provide them with additional information and process registrations as needed.

Human Resources
The SOARS program uses intensive case management to guide program participants
through registration, training, and ultimately employment. To carry out the program, SCLMB
will hire two experienced part-time case managers who will each work 20 hours per week. Case
managers will be required to hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in education or a human
services field, such as social services, counseling, or behavioral health, and a minimum of two
years related work experience.
Experience with Somerset County’s higher education, workforce development and
human services agencies is necessary for case managers because they will mentor, coach, and
support workers through the training, placement, and employment retention experience. Each
program participant will receive personalized assistance to identify and eliminate a wide range of
employment barriers including but not limited to reading or math skills, a criminal background,
transportation, child support, and childcare. The case managers will provide intensive support
and systems navigation to ensure successful participant completion of the program.
The program will make extensive use of volunteers to conduct community outreach, hold
interest meetings, and register participants by engaging within the targeted distressed
communities in Somerset County. Ten hours of volunteer time per week will serve as an in-kind
contribution to help support the program. Volunteers should have a background in education,
workforce development, or human services, but will be trained in-house by the case managers to
conduct outreach specific to the program.
The SCLMB executive director will dedicate ten hours per week of in-kind time to
activities related to the program, including grant management and reporting, data review and
evaluation, and personnel management.

Return on Investment
The direct costs of disconnected youth are estimated at $13,900 per year, based on an
economic impact study conducted by Salisbury University. The anticipated future per capita
lifetime taxpayer burden of disconnected youth is higher at $170,740. This number adds an
annual per capita cost of $2,277 to the direct cost of disconnected youth. These costs bring the
total direct per capita costs of disconnected youth to $16,177 per annum.
The study estimated direct and opportunity cost estimates yield a combined per capita
indirect economic impact of disconnected youth of $17,802 per annum and a combined per
capita induced economic impact of $26,702 per annum. This brings the total annual per capita
impact to $121,362. Based on these estimates, the total lifetime impact of the 865 disconnected
youth in the county adds up to about $105 million. If such an amount could be deployed for
workforce development, more than 1,400 jobs could be supported and more than $2.14 million in
additional local taxes could be generated.

Program Goals and Objectives

The SCLMB will use the data-driven Results-Based Accountability framework for
establishing program goals and objectives, and for evaluating the success of the program.
Results-Based Accountability uses population level data to drive programming at the local level
and to measure performance.
SCLMB used population level data illustrating rates of disconnected youth and youth
unemployment to establish goals and objectives for the SOARS program. Progress toward
addressing the program goals and objectives will be measured using both qualitative and
qualitative data illustrated in the performance measures. Two primary program goals were
identified based on data outlined in the statement of needs:
 To reduce the number of disconnected youths ages 16 to 24 in Somerset County who are
not employed.
 To reduce the number of youths ages 16 to 24 in Somerset County who live below the
poverty line.

Performance Measures

For Percentages,
numerator and
Measurement Frequency of denominator
Performance Tool Used Reporting (NUM/DEM) Target
Measure
What/How Much
We Do:
# of outreach
activities conducted Volunteer Quarterly 10
by volunteers report
# of youths Volunteer Quarterly
completing program report
interest forms 50
# of youths Quarterly
participating in Staff report 40
SOARS
How Well We Do It:
#/% of participants Sub-vendor Annual # Participants completing
completing training report all sessions in their training
program/education program/ # Participants 30/40
opportunity enrolled in a targeted 75%
training program
#/% of participants Annual # Participants who are
who are satisfied with satisfied with training
the training/education End of outcomes/# program 30/30
outcomes program participants who responded
survey 100%
to the survey
 Is Anyone Better
Off?
#/% of participants Pre-test and Annual # participants
demonstrating post-test demonstrating increased
increased knowledge knowledge in targeted
in targeted field training field following 30/30
following completion completion of workforce
targeted development program /# 100%
training/education participants completing the
program program
#/% of participants Staff report Annual # participants receiving
receiving end-of- end-of-program
program employment employment placement/# 25/30
placement participants completing 83%
targeted training program
#/% of participants End of Annual # participants obtaining
obtaining program employment within 6
employment 6 survey months of training/# 30/30
months after training participants in the program 100%
who responded to the
survey
#/% of participants End of Annual # participants reporting
reporting improved program improved 30/30
family stability survey family stability
following training following mediation/# 100%
participants in training who
respond to the survey

Evaluation
The SCLMB’s Community Coalition, which serves as a cross-sector partnership for
developing, reviewing, and evaluating organizational programs, will conduct internal evaluation
of the SOARS program. The coalition is composed of representatives from juvenile services,
children and family services, the community college, family court, health, mental health
treatment, public schools, religious organizations, social services, and substance use treatment.
Using the Results-Based Accountability framework, SCLMB caseworkers will enter all
program quantitative and qualitative data, including pre-test, post-test, enrollment and
completion, job placement, and end-of-program satisfaction surveys, into a database. Enrollment
and completion data will guide staff in supporting participant retention. Information related to
job placements for program participants will help guide sector offerings and curriculum
adjustments. Finally, participants will provide feedback on end-of-program satisfaction surveys.
Caseworkers will enter program data into the database for all qualitative and quantitative
performance measures that use the RBA model.
 To allow for development of local trend lines, an integrated database will be maintained
by the executive director for Somerset County for statewide data related to the number of
disconnected youths, youth unemployment, and levels of educational attainment. While single-
year data will not show an impact on trend lines, the coalition will review trend lines to
determine if there has been an increase in the number of first-generation college students and
justice-involved youths ages 16 to 24 who enter the workforce..
Additionally, coalition members will interview program participants and employers with
whom graduates have been placed to garner feedback on the program and suggestions for
improvements. The coalition will review the initial program results and report out to the SCLMB
board of directors following program completion. Staff will conduct follow-up interviews with
program participants six months following program completion to gather data related to their
employment status in their program sector. Interview information will be added to the database
to complement quantitative data with the story behind the numbers.

Proposed Budget
Requested Grant Agency In-Kind
Expense Funds & Cash Total
Personnel 47,424.00 27,187.20 74,611.20
Salaries 39,520.00 13,000.00 52,520.00
Fringe Costs 7,904.00 2,600.00 10,504.00
Volunteers 0.00 11,587.20 11,587.20
Operating Expenses 4,888.12 228.00 5,116.12
Office Supplies 600.00 0.00 600.00
Copying Supplies 900.00 0.00 900.00
Publication Design &
Printing 1,200.00 0.00 1,200.00
Communications 1,488.12 0.00 1,488.12
Training/Conferences 700.00 228.00 928.00
Travel 29,136.00 0.00 29,136.00
Business Travel 5,136.00 0.00 5,136.00
Client Transportation 24,000.00 0.00 24,000.00
Program expenses 11,185.00 0.00 11,185.00
Client Registration Fees 8,000.00 0.00 8,000.00
Educational Materials 2,160.00 0.00 2,160.00
Community Outreach
Materials 1,025.00 0.00 1,025.00
Equipment 3,514.00 0.00 3,514.00
Office Equipment 3,514.00 0.00 3,514.00
Other 9,614.71 0.00 9,614.71
Indirect Costs 9,614.71 0.00 9,614.71
TOTAL budget 105,761.83 27,415.20 133,177.03
 Budget Narrative
Expenses for the SOARS program include $96,147.12 for personnel at $47,424,
equipment and furniture at $3,514, travel at $29,136, program at $11,185, and general operating
costs at $4,888.12. Funding for indirect costs is included at $9,614.71. The requested grant
funding totals $105,761.83, with in-kind support at $27,415.20, for a total proposed budget of
$133,177.03.
Personnel
 Two .5 FTE part-time career access advisors to provide case management for program
participants at $19 per hour x 20 hours per week x 52 weeks x 2 staff = $39,520.
 Fringe costs for two .5 FTE part-time career access advisors to provide case management
for program participants at $19,760 x 20 percent x 2 staff = $7,904.
Equipment/Furniture
 Two tablet computers for use by career access advisors = $1,118 per tablet x 2 = $2,236.
 Two desks for career access advisors = $554 per desk x 2 = $1,108.
 Two office chairs for career access advisors = $85 x 2 = $170.
Travel
 Staff local travel to program sites at 200 miles per week for 48 active program weeks x the
current IRS approved rate of .535 per mile = $5,136.
 Client transportation to program sites at $250 for bus rental x two buses per week x 48
active program weeks = $24,000.
Program Expenses
 Client registration fees for training programs at $200 per client x 40 clients = $8,000.
 Educational materials, course books and materials, at $54 per client x 40 clients = $2,160
 Community outreach materials, including incentives at $625 for 250 water bottles at $2.5
each and $200 for stress balls at .48 each x 96, and $200 for one logo table cloth, = $1,025.
Operating Expenses
 Office supplies, including folders, hanging file folders, binders, notepads, pens, paper clips,
staples, etc., at $50 per month x 12 months = $600.
 Copying supplies, including ink for $600 at $50 per month x 12 months and $300 for copy
paper at $25 per month x 12 months, = $900.
 Publication design and printing of brochure at .50 per copy x 2,400 copies = $1,200.
 Communications for mobile internet $480.12 at $40.01 per month x 12 months and $1,008
for cellular telephone service at $42 per month x 2 staff x 12 months = $1,488.12.
 Staff attendance at annual Maryland State Workforce Investment Conference at $350
conference registration x two career access advisors = $700.
Indirect Costs
 Indirect costs at 10 percent of the total grant to cover expenditures that benefit more than
one program within the office, including utilities, insurance, rent, audit, and legal expenses,
equipment rental, and administrative staff = $9,614.71
Agency In-kind Support
 Salary for .25 FTE executive director to provide grant and financial management at $25
per hour x 10 hours per week x 52 weeks =$13,000.
 Fringe costs for .25 FTE executive director at $13,000 x 20 percent = $2,600.
 Volunteer time to assist career access advisors with case management valued at $24.14 per
hour x 10 hours per week x 48 active program weeks = $11,587.20.
 Staff attendance at annual Maryland State Workforce Investment Conference at $50 for
dinner at $25 each x two career access advisors and $178 for hotel reservations at the
Holiday Inn at $89 for one night x two career access advisors = $228.