Project WISE History

Project WISE was founded in 1995 to provide support services for families moving from welfare to work and families with low incomes. Informed by the previous welfare reform legislation and experiences of these families Project WISE was developed as an empowerment based model, which provides mental health services, mentoring, leadership development and advocacy.

Because the current welfare environment requires the development of leaders who can advocate for systemic change, Project WISE includes a variety of advocacy efforts in which the women can participate.

Project WISE was created to bring together the experiences and voices of the families experiencing public benefits with research and policy advocacy. The need also includes supporting women who are now working but still struggling economically and personally, which can make the reality of self-sufficiency difficult.

Who Do We Serve?
Project WISE serves women who are receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), are working and are receiving welfare to work benefits, are in an education program, or are employed in entry-level jobs with incomes at poverty level and are struggling to keep employment.

Gender: 99% female
Age range: 19-55
Ethnicity: 40% Anglo, 19% African-American, 40% Hispanic, 1% Native American
Personal Obstacles: 38% have experienced domestic violence (past and present), 26% were physically and/or emotionally abused as a child, 15% have problems parenting children/adolescents, 11% have a learning disability or academic problems.

Success Stories of Project WISE Participants

Individual Counseling
One woman, J., was in a verbally abusive relationship with the father of her 1-year-old child. J. After several months of working on the relationship and dealing with her own fears and anxieties, she was able to leave the relationship and set up a mutual parenting plan with the father. At the time, J. suffered from depression, disorganization and isolation. She has received 10 sessions of counseling since Jan. 2005. She has now increased employment hours, received a positive job evaluation and found an apartment for her and her child. J. is now a part of two other Project WISE programs: WISE Women Network mentoring program and the Women’s Community Organizing Project. Without the original counseling services this would not have been possible.
 
Mentoring
P. participated in the mentoring program for one year. She has maintained employment, continued her education and graduated with a 4-year college degree in June 2005. She has left TANF, saying, “being off TANF increased my self-esteem.” She has given voice to her experience by speaking at several public forums including a meeting with Representative Betty Boyd on the issue of post-secondary education, testifying at the State Capitol on the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Welfare Reform Board related to childcare benefits. P. has earned her Advocacy Training Certificate through the Project WISE Women’s Community Organizing Program. In addition, P. participated in a discussion with members of the Lutheran Conference for Continuing Education.These are some of the remarks she made in a six-month evaluation:

“At the time I got to know my mentor I was facing problems I could not solve on my own. My mentor helped me solve them. She was there when I needed someone the most.... I wanted to quit school at one time; however with the help of my mentor, I stayed in school during my last year. My mentor and I are now good friends. We are a part of each other’s family.”

Women’s Community Organizing Program
On May 11, 2005, a Project WISE participant, S., testified before the Denver Welfare Reform Board requesting that Denver County Human Services implement a law that was passed in March 2004. The law HB-1029 authorized counties to increase the number of clients who may participate in post-secondary education. S. shared her experience while on TANF and urged that other people be given an opportunity she was not afforded. S. was put into a short-term phlebotomy training program while being told this was a career choice that will help her find employment. She wanted to enroll in a two-year medical assistant course but was told she could not. Upon graduating from the phlebotomy program she was not able to find stable employment and has returned to TANF. S. hoped to enroll into a program at Community College of Denver that will count toward her work participation hours. However, S. continued to seek a full-time job and has recently become employed with Quest Diagnostics. In response to her testimony at the Denver Welfare Reform Board, she was told by the chairperson that her effort to appear before them was appreciated and that Denver will begin work on implementation of the bill this summer. This policy was implemented in August 2005.

Have you or a fellow Project WISE participant achieved a goal or accomplished something important lately? Email your achievements to: ejames@denverprojectwise.org.

Inspiration

Project WISE empowers women with low incomes by helping them meet personal, family, and economic goals, and by helping them attain a positive involvement with their communities.

Moving through life the wise one faces three tasks:Learning to know oneself, learning to trust oneself, and learning to take risks.

Knowing oneself, one learns to know others.Trusting oneself, one learns one can trust others.Taking risks, one gains the courage to let go.
      -Adapted from The Tao of Women