Francisco Gonzalez came to CLUES in November of 2011 and enrolled in ESL classes to work on his language skills. At that time, Francisco was employed at a family-owned restaurant in Saint Paul. In March of 2012, after 12 years of employment, Francisco lost his job due to economically driven layoffs. He had no idea where to turn or what to do. The Adult Education Services Coordinator in Saint Paul encouraged him to enroll in the ESL Customer Service Training that began in April.

Francisco excelled in the training. He immediately bonded with the other students in his class as well as his trainers. In addition to working hard and proving to be one of the most motivated and eager students in the class, Francisco also demonstrated an intense drive to find new employment as quickly as possible. Throughout the training Francisco approached the trainers for additional help on his resume,
completing job applications, and learning about the various hiring processes in the United States.

Francisco was also interested in learning more about immediate financial assistance to help sustain himself and his family during his period of unemployment. He learned that many of his classmates, who were already clients of CLUES’ Employment Department, received assistance through the Minnesota Family Investment Program. Francisco worked one-on-one with CLUES’ Income Supports Navigator who helped Francisco further understand what assistance he qualified for by running a benefits screening, and he was able to find the assistance he needed through Ramsey County’s Diversionary Work Program (DWP).

At the end of the training Francisco continued to receive professional guidance from CLUES’ Employment Department. After less than 2 months working with his Employment Coach and as a direct result of the training and guidance he received at CLUES, Francisco is now employed at longtime St. Paul company and earning $14.40 an hour.

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CLUES provides the following six core services:

► Mental Health Services
► Chemical Health Services
► Aging Well Services
► Economic Advancement Services
► Family Services
► Community Health Worker Services

The mission of CLUES—to improve the quality of life of the Latino community in Minnesota—has expanded in the past several years to include other minority and immigrant men, women, and children. Our tagline—Many cultures, one dream—underscores our commitment to helping the most vulnerable in our community lead happy, healthy, and productive lives.

We are the only Minnesota social service agency that uses a family-centric coordinated care model to address clients’ entire well-being. We understand that the needs of our clients are complex and interrelated, and our staff is able to uncover the underlying issues (mental health, chemical health, unemployment, etc.) that have led to, or exacerbated, family crisis. By working with the entire family, we are able to diagnose and intervene meaningfully; engaging the entire family allows us to work towards a long-term and sustainable solution for health and stability.

In 2011, we served over 12,000 people.