NICC Outreach Success Coach Report Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 7.
ITEM TITLE: NICC Outreach Success Coach Report
SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting a report by Samaria Neely, Outreach Success
Coach at NICC
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ Samaria Neely Report Supporting Documentation
The following is a report of the work of Samaria Neely, who began work as an Outreach Success
Coach at Northeast Iowa Community College on July 13, 2015. Ms.Neely's position is funded
through a partnership between NICC and the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation.
Overview
In the time since she began her position, Ms. Neely has made connections with over thirty
prospective students who have expressed an interest in earning a certificate, high school diploma,
or participating in a refresher session of learning skills. Ms.Neely considers most of her
students to be "at-risk" living in low-income housing and or receiving assistance from the state.
This is why, for Ms.Neely it essential to remain consistent and continue to motivate each student
she works with every day. The diverse population of students, she works with includes: five
Caucasian students, one Hispanic student, and the remaining being African American, all
ranging in different ages. Each student, accompanied by Ms.Neely, has visited Iowa Works and
completed the paperwork needed to register for services through both Iowa Works and Promise
Jobs,with Ms.Neely's assistance if needed. Both of these organizations help to cover the cost of
certificate programs and daycare if needed. Eleven students are currently completing the steps
needed to partici ate in the upcoming Certified Nursing Assistant CNA class. Three students
p P g g (CNA)
are enrolled to start industrial sewing next month, seven are enrolled to start the computer
numerical control (CNC) course in November,three are in refresher sessions,three are working
on obtaining her HSED, and one is attending the adult basic education developmental class.
Success Stories
Several of the recently recruited prospective students are single mothers, all of whom have
various barriers to obtaining community resources, and Ms. Neely has helped them overcome
these barriers. For example,Ms.Neely has assisted Student#1, a mother of four, with gaining
daycare through DHS and Promise Jobs in order to return to school at NICC and obtain a CNC
certificate. She also helped Student#2, a mother of three who was given a three-day eviction
notice and was going through a legal dispute with her landlord; find financial assistance through
Iowa Legal Aide. The Human Rights Department and Project Concern also assisted Student#2
in covering the remaining balance of her rent and resolving her disputes with the landlord.
The story of one of these single mothers is particularly dramatic. Student#3, a mother of three
and recovering drug addict entered the NICC office in downtown Dubuque one morning clearly
in need of desperate help. Ms.Neely met with her to discuss her goals, discovering that her focus
was to obtain a degree in order to find a job with a steady income in the hope of being able to
regain custody of her children. A few days later when Student#3was reviewing brush-up
content,Ms. Neely discovered that she was homeless and living out of a van. Ms.Neely,with the
help of Project Concern,then helped Student#1 find a place to stay at the Theresa Shelter to help
her continue her academic work. Student#3 continues to work with Ms. Neely weekly in career
development, apartment search, and brushing up on her skills in order to reach her goal of
entering the CNA course, starting mid-October.
Another student that continues to hit levels of success is Student#4, who was referred to me by
the Dream Center's director,Robert Kimble. Student#4 is a single mother of four, whom was on
the verge of being evicted from her home and facing many other obstacles. Ms.Neely was able
to connect Student#4 with various community resources that provided her with access to
different ways to have her rent paid and address other on-going challenges in her life. When Ms.
Neely first met Student#4 she was at a point where her barriers seemed to outweigh her
successes, she is now enrolled in the CNA course, and at this point, she has no need to worry
about where she or her children may end up.
Student#5 is another success story in the making. She is a twenty-four year old and the single
mother of two toddlers. She recently relocated to Dubuque from Clinton after leaving a
relationship filled with domestic violence. When she arrived in Dubuque, Student#5 was
without a home, an income, or any means to provide for her two children. She ended up moving
into the Maria House, a home for single mothers, where Ms.Neely first contacted her. Student
#5 worked hard to complete the steps necessary to obtain a degree, and in August she began
work in the CNA program. Upon completing her CNA, Student#5 plans to find a job in the
health field and continue to pursue credit courses to obtain her BSN.
Organizations Contacted or Staff Meetings Attended,with Contacts:
Iowa State University Extension and Presentation Lantern, Sr. Corine Murray,
Outreach, Caroyln Scherf PBVM
Substance Abuse Services Center (SASC), City of Dubuque Humane Relations
Dawn Hall and Mary Boots Specialist, Manisha Paudel
Bee Branch, Kristin Hill Hillcrest Family Services, Laura Hoffmann
Project Concern, Dawn Demaio and Amy Teresa Shelter, Heather LuGrain
Hendricks Maria House
City of Dubuque Neighborhood City of Dubuque Housing and Human
Development Specialist, Jerelyn O' Connor Development, Alvin Nash
Lutheran Services in Iowa, Deborah Dream Center, Robert Kimble
Devenuta and Dawn Bequeaith. Iowa Kids Connect,Amanda Kruse
Circles Initiative,Ermina Soler Mary's Inn Maternity Shelter, Colleen
United Way, Chris Chapin-Tilton Pasnik
Americorps, Mary Bridget Corken-Deutsch Black Men's Coalition, Anderson Sainci
J4BG Family Counseling Center, Larry St. John's Guest House
Jackson, Jr. Vocational Rehabilitation, Jeanne Helling
Dubuque Rescue Mission, Mike Evans Washington Neighborhood Development
James Axt Iowa Department of Human Services, Linda
Pediatric Integrated Health, Diane Heiken Duffy
Multicultural Center,Dora Sema Life Connections,Alyssa Hentrich
Iowa Legal Aide, Carrie O' Connor Catholic Charities, Zoe Houlihan
City of Dubuque Community Engagement Resources Unite!, Josh Jasper
Coordinator,Nikola Pavelic Sources, Patti Reed
YMCA, Casey Breitbach