VIP Program Description
Supports Coordination
Support Coordination services provide advocacy, linking and monitoring for individualized services as well as development of personalized goals for achieving self support and independence in a respectful and dignified manner.
Skill Building
The Skill Building Service works to achieve improved quality of life for the individuals enrolled to assist individuals in increasing their self-sufficiency and to develop the skills needed to engage in meaningful community-based activities.
Supported Employment
The services include job site development, job coaching and follow along support services.
Supports Coordination
Case management provides individual attention that connects persons served to resources, services and community supports. Staff members in the case management services are bachelor degree social workers with experience and knowledge in providing services to individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and co-occurring disabilities. Participants and their families are assisted in development of a person centered plan of service designed to move them toward the least restrictive setting with an emphasis on employment and/or an improved quality of life.
Staff meets face to face with persons served as needed to assess their progress toward established goals in the individual plan of service. In addition, they connect with community natural supports, public entitlements, and recreational activities to ensure those served are adequately sustained in a community setting. Case managers are also expected to coordinate linkage to supported employment services and for assistance in obtaining community employment. Case managers complete necessary documentation to support the services needed.
Service Parameters
The VIP Program provides primary case management for individuals. Secondary case management is also provided for individuals with an outside primary case manager.
Highlights
VIP Case Managers are licensed social workers that are supervised by a master’s level clinician.
Skill Building
Skill building services have two domains:
Vocational Skill Training
Focuses on developing skills that will help the person receiving services to understand the world of work, follow supervisory direction, use time wisely, and complete tasks as assigned with good quality. Individualized services may also provide personal development skills such as interpersonal skill building, development of personal responsibility, and independent problem solving.
Services include assignment of paid work opportunities as well as work skill training experiences. Paid work opportunities are provided in food preparation and kitchen work; janitorial and maintenance service; and assembly work in a factory type setting. Staffing ratios average one staff per fifteen persons receiving services. The objective of vocational skill building services is either improvement in employability skills as measured by the employment matrix, or obtaining employment in a community setting.
Skill Building Services
Focus on developing and maintaining personal skills that will result in an improved quality of life. The skills addressed may include personal care and hygiene, health and safety, money management, interpersonal skill development, leisure skills, nutrition, food preparation, and community exploration and resources. The objective of skill building is the ability to continue to participate in the community in the least restrictive way possible. Staff ratios for this service are one staff to fifteen participants.
Service Parameters
Most skill building services are provided at the VIP building in Flint, Michigan, in a factory type setting. Hours of service are 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some services are provided in a community based setting for short periods of time, such as community exploration and resources. Most referrals are received from Genesee Health System or one of their contracted providers, but referrals are also accepted for private pay and from public schools and similar referral sources out of the area.
We Offer
•Vocational Skill Training
•Skill Building
•Supported/Integrated Employment Services
•Door to Door Transportation
Highlights
The VIP Program provides services for individuals with disabilities. The VIP Program emphasizes training in work, activities of daily living, and social skills. Individuals are involved in production, assembly and product manufacturing in addition to group skill development activities such as communication, health and safety, community awareness and independent living.
Supported Employment
Supported employment services at VIP provide initial and ongoing supports, service and training to help those served find and keep paid employment in a community setting. The services include job site development, job coaching and follow along support services. A work site assessment will be completed to analyze the job and the work environment to promote a good match for the person served, and to identify any health or safety considerations that will be addressed.
Service Parameters
Services are provided at the employment setting in the community. Hours of service will vary by the job, and are discussed and agreed on at the time of the job offer. Initial staffing may be very high, up to and including one to one intervention, with fading of job coaching over a planned period of time. Follow along support is maintained with a minimum of one contact per month.
We Offer
•Trial Work Experience
•Job Shadowing
•Job Development
•Job Coaching
Highlights
The VIP Program provides a variety of work experiences that are based on individual needs and assessments.
Contact information
Management Team
Rene' McMann, M.B.A.
Executive Director
rmcmann@viprogram.org Ext. 102
Michelle Butler, LBSW
Clinical Supervisor
mbutler@viprogram.org Ext. 122
Kathleen Fredrick
Business Operation Director
kathleen@viprogram.org Ext. 104
Lisa Lindell
Program Supervisor
llindell@viprogram.org Ext. 106
Kemoshi McQueen
Assistant Program Supervisor
kmcqueen@viprogram.org Ext. 110
Gary Brown
Transportation Supervisor
gbrown@viprogram.org Ext.109
Board of Directors
Jerry Ragsdale
President
Judge Michael Theile
1st Vice President
Jeanne Quinlan
Secretary
Terry Pfaff
Treasurer