Choices & Changes:
The Montana Rural Employment Initiative (MREI)

By Mike Flaherty, Organizational Consultant
The Rural Institute
The University of Montana

The Montana Rural Employment Initiative (MREI), a Special Projects and Demonstration Grant funded through Rehabilitation Services Administration at the US Department of Education, completes its third and final program year at the end of September. Since its inception in the fall of 1997, this project has served a diverse population of persons with disabilities representing rural communities across Montana and has distributed $216,000 in cash to agencies to support employment. The purpose of the MREI project was to build the supported employment capacity of service providers in rural areas. Choice and meaningful employment options for ALL people with significant disabilities guided this project.

A competitive "Request for Proposals" process produced 12 active sites in Montana communities over the project's three years. Some agencies reapplied and received a second year of project support in order to concentrate on other outlying areas in their regions. Each of the selected sites directed their initial efforts toward identifying customers and developing partnerships with local Vocational Rehabilitation offices. Providers that served as the base for MREI activities included:

• Living Independently For Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) Billings
• Living Independently For Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) Glendive
• Career Transitions, Easter Seals
• Montana Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (MDHHS)
• Ravalli Services
• Job Connection
• Flathead Industries
• Western Montana Community Mental Health - Kalispell
• Western Montana Community Mental Health - Ronan
• Easter Seals/Goodwill
• Bitterroot Educational Co-op
• Summit Independent Living Center

These agencies serve people in a number of communities, large and small. The communities served through the MREI project include the small towns of:

Additionally many persons were served in the rural areas surrounding the larger cities of:

Job Development

The project sites developed supported employment and self-employment for the people with disabilities they served. A total of seventy-nine people with disabilities were served through the MREI project, with a range of disabilities including mental illness, hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, and physical impairments. Of those served, fifty-four people chose particular careers for themselves and the service providers helped them find community employment in their chosen fields (exceeding the project employment goal at 112%). Some of their jobs included:

Many people also found entry level jobs in their communities. The vast majority of these jobs were the first community work experiences people had outside of sheltered environments.

Training

Training opportunities for site personnel were directed toward building the staff's supported employment and job development capacity. Rural Institute training consultants demonstrated Best Practices at MREI training seminars. The focus of these seminars was to teach provider staff how to use available employment tools and apply them in order to sustain and further promote community access for people with disabilities. Training sessions were provided at no cost to participating staff and invited attendees. The training topics included:

Successes

The successes of the MREI project are the lasting impacts and capacity developed through the training, job creation, and Best Practices demonstrated in rural Montana communities. Each agency that served as a site developed a core team of employment specialists that includes customers, local Vocational Rehabilitation staff, family, and friends who will carry on and promote community inclusion and employment opportunities after the project ends. The work these teams continue to do is critical. They are following through with the belief that everyone can work, regardless of circumstance and location. They identify and link natural supports and people, which makes community employment in rural areas not only a reality but a priority. Although September marks the end of the Montana Rural Employment Initiative, the project has built the capacity of its sites to support our fellow citizens and sustain community inclusion.