Creating Jobs Initiative (CJI)

The Creating Jobs Initiative is a strategic plan partnering with Tennessee communities to increase employment opportunities for persons with mental illness across the state. One goal of the program is to provide employment to 2,010 persons with mental illness by the year 2010. CJI includes a targeted, grassroots, multi-agency task force with local communities in each of the seven mental health planning regions.

CJI is administered and executed by the director of employment planning and development, who educates, advocates and provides training regarding employment issues as well as assists in increasing financial resources to develop local employment prospects. Additionally, the CJI task force brings traditional and nontraditional community partners together to focus on expanding and creating more employment opportunities for persons with a mental illness or co-occurring disorder. CJI also works collaboratively with the Division of Rehabilitation Services (Vocational Rehabilitation) and the Career Centers across Tennessee to increase opportunities for consumers to receive support through the employment services.

The vision of the Creating Jobs Initiative is for every Tennessean with a mental illness or co-occurring disorder who wants to work, to have the opportunity to choose, obtain, keep and advance in a job.