In an unprecedented partnership of church, local and state government, in 1998, the Faith Community of St. Sabina opened a full-service employment center. The center provides client assessment and screening, job matching, service referral, resume preparation and job training programs to members of the Englewood, Auburn-Gresham, and other close neighborhood south side communities.

The mission of the Employment Resource Center (ERC) is to develop the employability of individuals so they may secure and retain meaningful career paths. The ERC staff supports and encourages individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and an improved overall quality of life. The vision of the ERC is that one day the unemployment rate within its targeted communities will be zero. Stable employment in a community is necessary for the economy in the community to grow and prosper.

The ERC focuses on preparing people for the workplace. The ERC staff works along with employers, city colleges, and targeted skills development agencies in designing training programs and services that will prepare its clients to be stellar employees - ready to work and eager to serve. The programs are designed to provide the support and training necessary for every client to achieve meaningful employment and take advantage of future career growth opportunities. Equally as important, the program is designed to build up the confidence of each client in their own abilities so that they seek to pursue their careers of choice and not just seek employment for employment sake.

Today, the ERC offers an Employment Resource Services Division and a Universal Resource Center. The Employment Services Division is focused on training clients while also identifying and providing qualified applicants to meet the hiring needs of existing and new businesses. These collaborative efforts with employers reduce the time, costs, and human resource expended during the staffing recruitment and selection process. The ERC has created an employer database with over 200 businesses located in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Through a partnership with a company specializing in tax credit recovery, the ERC encourages businesses to fully leverage tax credits to recoup operational costs by hiring qualified candidates who meet specific eligibility requirements.

The Universal Resource Center (URC), which opened its doors in 2002, offers employment-related services to all residents of the community. The primary purpose of the URC is to provide individuals with the necessary tools and a professional environment for conducting job search activities. Customers have access to computers, laser printers, high speed internet, telephones, a fax machine, and a copier. The ERC partnered with the Chicago Community Voice mail Project to provide voicemail technology to customers without phones so that they may receive messages from potential employers. A full-time staff member is on-site to assist job seekers with resume development and review, job search techniques, establishing email accounts, skills training and individual support and encouragement. The URC assists over 600 unduplicated customers each month and the numbers are increasing as community awareness of our services continues to spread.

The ERC has also partnered with the following agencies to increase its overall effectiveness as a service provider: Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, Safer Foundation, Center for Economic Progress, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LlSC).

Rev. Dr. Michael L. Pfleger states that "The Employment Resource Center gets to the heart and stability of a community's future - putting people to work so that they may be empowered to care for their families and rebuild their communities."

"The Employment Resource Center gets to the heart and stability of a community's future by putting people to work so that they may be empowered to care for their families and rebuild their communities." Rev. Michael. L. Pfleger

For more information, contact (773) 783 - 3760.