Please click here for Service Updates for Contra Costa Workforce Collaborative (CCWC) WIOA Access Points   

Rubicon Warm Line for Service Updates and Support with Service Access

Under the Current Shelter in Place order, Rubicon Programs sites are closed. Limited services are being delivered remotely during this time. Rubicon Programs has implemented 2 warm lines to provide ongoing service updates and facilitate access to services.

For service updates or to access support for Concord AJCC, CCWC WIOA Access Points, Eden AJCC, or Career Employment Centers (CECs), please call 510-323-1104.

For service updates or to access support for All Community-Based Programs (Broadway, Reentry Success Center, Concord, Antioch, Rubicon Education Partnership, OMHT), please call 510-323-1103.

These numbers are staffed Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Rubicon Programs would like to share the following information regarding changes in service delivery at the Concord America’s Job Center of California (Concord AJCC) and Access Point locations for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services:

As of Tuesday, March 17, and through April 30, Rubicon has shifted all service delivery to telework, in alignment and compliance with ongoing and increasingly strong guidance, mandates, and rules from counties and State. The Concord AJCC site is currently closed in order to comply with social distancing and the State-wide shelter in place directive.

WIOA services are continuing and being provided remotely by Rubicon Programs and CCWC WIOA Access Points through various means.

For more information on how to access services, please call:

925-914-7675 (8:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
510-672-4150 (8:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

Or email LeRoy Gainey, Concord AJCC Site Manager – leroyg@rubiconprograms.org or Stacy Hart, Concord AJCC Site Coordinator – stacyh@rubiconprograms.org

For more information on EDD services, please access services in the following ways:

www.edd.ca.gov – Preferred method of accessing services

800-300-5616 Unemployment Insurance (8am-12pm, Monday-Friday)

800-480-3287 Disability Insurance (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

877-238-4373 Paid Family Leave (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

925-602-0869 EDD local number at Concord AJCC (voice-mail only)

We will continue to closely monitor guidance of local Public Health Authorities, and will continue to provide updates regularly on changes to our service delivery.  

Dear Rubicon community,

We hope you are coping as well as possible in the current crisis and taking all necessary precautions to protect your health and that of those around you. I am writing to update you on the approach Rubicon Programs is taking to keep our participants, our staff, and our community safe and healthy.

After giving the situation careful consideration, as of Tuesday March 17, and through April 30, Rubicon will shift all service delivery to telework, in alignment and compliance with ongoing and increasingly strong guidance, mandates, and rules from counties and State. All sites will be closed in order to comply with social distancing and the Bay Area-wide shelter in place directive.

Rubicon staff will customize services to support each participant in meeting their needs and addressing concerns that are top of mind at this time, which are likely different from before the pandemic reached its current stage.

We know that Rubicon staff is a great source of support to our participants and to one another, so we do not make this decision lightly. We are equipping all employees to work remotely, and we are identifying ways to provide social connectedness during this time of necessary social distancing.

The health and safety of our community is our biggest concern. We will continue to closely monitor guidance of local Public Health Authorities, and we urge everyone to follow guidelines and protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We will continue to evaluate our steps and actions regularly and to keep you updated along the way. 

As a community, we are incredibly strong and resilient. We will get through this together and do our part to help slow the spread of this virus so that healthcare workers can do the critical work of taking care of those in need. 

Wishing you wellness and strength during this challenging time, 

Jane Fischberg
President & CEO

Follow our Blog for relevant COVID-19 updates!
 

by Alisha Semplar, Community Connections Program Manager

A group of Rubicon participants and staff spent MLK Day servign alongside North Richmond residents for Urban Tilth's "Monarchs & Medicine" community event. The morning opened beautifully as Rubicon participants and Participant Advisory Board (PAB) leaders enjoyed a quick cup of coffee and breakfast before heading into the rich soil to begin planting trees, mustard plants, collard greens and other various seasonal vegetables.

A brief orientation opened the event at 9 a.m. as all volunteers were ushered to their respective work stations. Our work for the day included seed planting, tree planting, turning compost (prepping crop rows), filling wheelbarrows with soil for transport to tree planting site, shed structure construction, weed elimination, etc.

PAB leader Gail engaged in preparing rows of compost for crop implantation while PAB member Darease supported her two young children with seed planting in the tent. Alex, a PAB member and resident of the North Richmond Community shared: 

“It feels good to contribute to a much needed community garden in a community that seems to be neglected and filled with poverty. Dr. King would be proud to see this large group of diverse folks out here today!”

Rubicon participant LaVonda spent time working closely with community members and Urban Tilth staff. She was able to connect to the weekly volunteer opportunity. “I am excited to continue this work on Saturdays. Hopefully my connection to this opportunity will guide me to a permanent gig providing service to my community.” In total, three participants have opted to continue with the farm volunteer efforts at least once a month on Saturdays.

Rubicon participants' children exhibited jovial spirits as they gained a sense of accomplishment by digging, planting and engaging in an activity that they didn’t classify as “work”. Parents commented on the improvement of their children’s mood as they spent almost five hours in the outdoors, enjoying nature and the beauty of planting healthy and nutritious food.

All participants received T-shirts, a continental breakfast and a healthy organic lunch comprised of savory soups prepared with nutritious ingredients similar to the crops planted that day. Vegan options were provided and served by Urban Tilth Executive Director, Doria Robinson and Urban Tilth staff.

Thank you to Urban Tilth for organizing this service day and for helping our community build a more sustainable, healthy, and just food system!

Bobby has been involved with Rubicon since 2017 as a participant, mentor, and active member of the Participant Advisory Board. Bobby has served on interview panels and strategic plan work groups to provide feedback to the organization and seeks any and all opportunities to give back.

Bobby recently visited Rubicon to speak to Job Club members about ACE Hardware, where he has been employed for the past two years. ACE is a background-friendly employer – it assesses job candidates based on their qualifications without regard to past criminal justice involvement -- and it is recruiting for multiple positions in the East Bay. Bobby talked about his role at ACE and was generous in offering tips to participants who were interested in applying -- everything from how to communicate with the hiring manager to the typical clientele at local stores. He was relatable, honest, supportive, encouraging, and ready to advocate for anyone from Rubicon.

Following a line of participants who asked Bobby to review their resumes and put in a good word for their applications, Bobby predicted that at least 1-2 would have a job that same day! He said he could see it on their faces that they were ready for the opportunity: “They’re eager, they ask questions, and they’re ready to take it to the next level.”

When asked what brought him to Job Club, Bobby said “paying it forward makes me happy. This program helped me, and I am at a place now where I have the opportunity to be of help. It all starts with one person, and I want to be that person for somebody.”

Growing up on a horse ranch in Oakley, California, Bobby learned a lot of valuable skills; he taught himself how to be handy, and he also learned to communicate well with people from backgrounds different than his own.

Before coming to Rubicon Programs, Bobby knew how to get a job, and he had done it before. He had the skills to be successful on his own; he was resourceful, insightful, and eager to share his experiences. What was missing at the time he initially came to Rubicon, according to Bobby, was confidence.

Coming out of incarceration, Bobby was unsure of himself and his future prospects. His involvement with the system left him feeling like there was no room for mistakes, and that everyone was expecting perfection. Bobby was looking for someone to relate to, someone who could help build his confidence and see what was possible for his future.

“I’m a people-person, I get along well with people, but Rubicon staff were different. They are everyday people…they made the workshops interesting and fun, and they kept it real -- 100% honest, and I respect that.”

Bobby began working with his Impact Coach, Sam, during his participation in Rubicon’s foundations workshops. The Impact Coach serves as the primary relationship for each participant, providing support and guidance through the duration of their work with Rubicon. At Rubicon, we believe that the relationship is the intervention, and the intervention is the relationship. As Bobby put it, “when someone believes in you, you believe in yourself.”

Bobby quickly emerged as a leader in his cohort. Shortly after completing the two-week intensive workshops, Bobby worked with his Employment Coach to search for a job and secured a position at ACE Hardware. Within his first year of employment, Bobby was promoted to a supervisory position.

When asked what he likes most about his job at ACE, Bobby responded, “I like the customers. I have a gift that people radiate to me; they really like talking to me.”

Bobby described one particular customer, an older woman, who came into the store right after Bobby left to take his lunch break. She insisted on only dealing with Bobby and waited the full hour until he returned, eager for him to help her.

Another customer who visited the store asked for Bobby by name. She explained that her sister recently got some help with a landscaping project. “Her lawn looks gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “She told me I had to come and see you.”

“It gives me a really good feeling to help someone and to see them smile,” said Bobby.

Bobby’s own experience and successes enable him to see the same great potential in the participants walking through Rubicon’s doors today. As Bobby described one participant whom he already connected to a job opportunity, he said “I take chances on people. In prison, you work hard and you don’t show up late. Once you have a real job, you already know how to get work done and the value of getting paid for it.”

As a leader on Rubicon’s Participant Advisory Board (PAB), Bobby assists with developing the agenda for monthly meetings, facilitating meetings, recruiting his peers to the PAB, and setting a positive example for all new members. Rubicon’s Connections Manager said, “Bobby has set his sights on reaching back to assist participants with developing skill sets that they had not focused on developing before.”

When Rubicon set out to develop and refine our Theory of Change, Bobby was invited to the table to contribute his ideas. Bobby shared his experiences and the positive impact that Rubicon’s model had on his life; he vocalized the needs of his peers and ways that the program model could further assist program participants on their road to success.

Reflecting on his future, Bobby shared that “having the right supports and someone to push you makes the difference.” Rubicon was that difference for Bobby, and now he is the difference for so many others.

As he got up to leave, Bobby paused and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a smooth, clear stone. “They gave me this stone at my Rubicon Stepping Stones Ceremony. I carry it with me every day, everywhere I go – it’s a reminder to take everything one step at a time.”