Last October, we featured a story on Bernette Makuson, who had gained fulltime employment as a Social Service Representative with the DC Department of Human Services—KRA client for the operation of the TANF Employment Program (TEP)—after completing a 4-month, unpaid Community Work Experience job arranged for her by KRA Career Agent, Andre Thompson.
Today, because Bernette is still on the job, she is proud to have completed her TEP Retention obligation, which means that she has met her TANF-mandated 6 months of steady employment, and is “officially” self-sufficient and free of public-assistance benefits!
Bernette’s journey has been one of challenges and self-discovery, and she has expressed gratitude for the tools provided to her by KRA/TEP, which have contributed to her success. Even recently, when concerned about training on a new computer system, staff were available to advise her on various brick-and-mortar and online resources, such as YouTube tutorials, that could help her get ahead of the learning curve.
Martha Holman, KRA Team Lead Career Agent, concluded, “Bernette is a great role model for other TANF participants who may doubt their ability to succeed. Through times of hardship, she didn’t give up! She forged ahead and came out the other side of life’s challenges on top!”
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
