Evaluation of a Vocational Model for Persons with Severe Mental Illness in Somerset County, New Jersey

The Heldrich Center is under contract with Somerset County in central New Jersey to conduct an independent evaluation of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey's (MHANJ) model for assisting people with mental illnesses to become employed. MHANJ is implementing supported employment supplemented by a support network of peer counselors who work with people with serious and persistent mental illness to help them return to work. The evaluation will provide feedback to MHANJ on what aspects of the program are functioning effectively and which are not functioning well and to recommend ways that the program might be strengthened. The evaluation will also calculate employment outcomes of the individuals that the program serves to learn whether they experience positive earnings gains. (Funded by a grant from Somerset County, NJ and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)