Southeast Enterprises Builds Pathways to Employment for the I/DD Community in Jackson County

By working alongside other organizations, eitas enables people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) to access greater opportunities and independence.

This month, we’re highlighting Southeast Enterprises, a local leader advancing employment, training and community access for the I/DD community in Jackson County.

“A full week’s worth of work” — meaningful jobs, real wages

“We employ over 110 individuals currently, really with a full week’s worth of work if they want to work here,” said Lauren Hall, CEO, Southeast Enterprises. “Our mission is to provide meaningful employment and opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and help them have opportunities that will help them live life to the fullest.”

Hall notes that sheltered workshops are often misunderstood. “People have kind of a fixed mindset about what sheltered workshops are,” she said. “We not only are training job skills daily, which, by the way, our people get paid for while they’re working on job skills, but we are also run as a business.” Southeast manages packaging and assembly contracts with well-known regional and national companies, and reinvests revenue back into programs that benefit individuals.

Southeast also serves a broad spectrum of individuals, with or without a waiver. “We provide all those opportunities to every individual,” Hall shared. 

Vocational training that meets people where they are

Employment is the foundation, but skill-building is the engine. “We also offer a very robust vocational training program in-house,” Hall said. “Most of the courses, of which there are 17 currently, people will earn wages to attend those classes.” Topics range from professionalism and teamwork to online safety and stress management. Southeast even responds to needs raised by individuals, like learning how to support an aging parent with dementia, by designing responsive classes or bringing in outside expertise.

Community-based employment with eitas support

Under the umbrella of community day-based services, Southeast’s Associates on the Move program creates a supported bridge into community employment. “Eitas funds that, which is fantastic for us,” Hall explained. “It allows people to work in the community, in the safety of some of their coworkers and small teams with a Southeast staff person. They’re getting on-the-job training and it allows them to make minimum wage or even higher in some cases.”

It’s also low-risk for employers. “It’s really no risk to that company because Southeast is providing the transportation, they’re providing the people to help, they’re providing the supervision,” Hall said. The result: individuals gain skills and confidence and employers experience the value of an inclusive workforce.

Choice is built in. Participants can opt for paid work, volunteering with community partners, day classes or access to adventures after-hours and weekend experiences in the community.

Entrepreneurship, art and the spark to try something new

Southeast supports personal goals beyond the production floor. “Recently we had a huge presence at Art Westport,” Hall said. “We had over 23 people participating and they’re launching their own product.” That venture, Every Ember, lets individuals explore entrepreneurship and even e-commerce. Southeast also provides transportation for daytime art classes and other interests, building confidence and community along the way.

Built-in supports, sustainable funding, stronger bridges

“What really differentiates us is built-in supports,” Hall said. “We have people on staff, with the help of eitas, who are really here just to make sure that individuals have their best day possible and that they know they can come back tomorrow no matter what. They have a job tomorrow.”

Southeast sustains much of its work through business revenue. “We don’t take any federal money,” Hall explained. “We fuel all of this by the revenues and the customers that see the value of working with us and then we do get funding from eitas gratefully for things that we know we need,” like vehicles for community work and staffing.

The goal is a seamless transition. Hall recalls an early experience when someone took a private-sector role and soon returned. “It wasn’t that he failed, it’s that the system at that time failed him,” she said. “It’s very important that we build really strong bridges and really strong transitions so people can step into something else without missing a beat.”

Learn More and Get Involved

Southeast Enterprises thrives because of community support and strong partnerships. To learn more about their mission and impact, visit Southeast Enterprises’ website or explore how eitas partners with local organizations at our Funding Page.

Together, we’re shaping a stronger, more inclusive I/DD community in Jackson County.