For Participants
& Job Seekers
Overview
Community Works Project (CWP) empowers diverse families on TANF to obtain and maintain meaningful work that sustains their families, through an individualized approach that includes coaching, skill building, employment barriers removal and employer connections.
CWP only serves TANF recipients referred by their DHS Family Coach.
List of Services Offered

What to expect when you are referred to CWP for services
Welcome to the Community Works Project (CWP)!
Our team at CWP bring diverse experience and cultural competency from six nonprofit agencies in Portland. Our friendly and experienced Employment and Engagement Specialists and the broader CWP team look forward to meeting you. We welcome everyone at CWP. Our purpose is to help you choose a path that works best for you, to reach your own goals!
You and your Family Coach at the Department of Human Services (DHS) have decided to refer you to CWP and here is what you can expect on your first visit.
1) Your DHS Family Coach let us know to welcome you on the date and time you agreed to come in for orientation. If you received a Personal Development Plan (PDP) in the mail, please bring the letter with you when you come in for your first appointment.
2) Once you come in to our Career Center (locations) you will be asked to check in.
At our East County Family Services location, you will be asked to wait for a thirty minute orientation and complete a paper registration form. The orientation will go over the Community Works Project and the overall services our team is able to offer you.
At our Southeast Portland location, you will be asked to complete the steps described here for orientation and registration.
3) Once you have completed orientation and your registration form, you will be greeted by your assigned Employment and Engagement Specialist and a more in-depth conversation will follow.This conversation, which we call an intake, is where you and the Engagement and Employment Specialist will discuss what your plans are, what you feel is the biggest challenge for you to find a job or explore opportunities available. At the end of the intake, you will plan for next steps on an individual plan that works best for you. More information about our career center classes and different activities in each step is listed her: Program Steps.
4) You can decide the best schedule for your weekly activities, and you and your Employment and Engagement Specialist will stay connected and check in once a week to explore progress.
5) You will have access to community resources, classes, vocational training opportunities, removing background barriers and disclosure letter writing help and a vast range of job readiness activities with a focus on designing a plan and schedule that fits in with your life!
We look forward to working with you!
Attend our daily Orientation at 9.30 am at DHS East County Family Service Center to find out more! Unable to attend? Watch our orientation video for a short overview of what to expect at CWP.