CASE Member Spotlight – Agence Ometz
CASE Member Spotlight
Agence Ometz
The Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) is committed to facilitating inclusive employment in Canada for persons experiencing disability and who may have intersecting identities. Our work is guided by our values and the guiding principles of supported employment. This work also involves learning and promoting best practices in Canada and across the world with the shared goal of advancing supported employment.
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Kateryna Zmytrovych, Member Experience Coordinator and Executive Assistant, spoke with Edina Markovitz, Manager of Supported Employment Services at Agence Ometz, an organization located in Montreal.
Tell us a little bit about your agency. What do you do and who are your clients?
Agence Ometz was formed through the merger of three organizations: Jewish Employment Montreal (JEM), Jewish Family Services (JFS), and Jewish Immigration Aid Services (JIAS). For over 160 years, Agence Ometz has supported individuals, families, and the Montreal community to help them reach their full potential.
Whether it’s employment support, immigration support services, or a range of other social programs and services, we are a fully integrated and responsive agency that promotes a holistic, wrap-around approach. We support each person according to their unique circumstances and provide them with the necessary tools to move forward with courage and confidence. Agence Ometz values diversity and is proud to offer personalized, accessible, confidential, and culturally respectful services grounded in Jewish values.
Supported employment services
I have worked for Agence Ometz for over 30 years, primarily in the field of supported employment, a field I am passionate about. Our supported employment services, funded by the provincial government, specialize in supporting individuals living with mental health conditions, autism, intellectual disabilities, or learning disabilities to achieve their career goals.
Our team offers comprehensive and personalized support throughout the job search process (e.g., identifying client interests and skills, assistance in obtaining or maintaining employment, and all intermediate steps). We are committed to building inclusive workplaces where people of all abilities can thrive.
If your agency's story were told in a book, what would its title be?
The Courage to Turn Barriers into Opportunities
Collaboration is essential in our field. What types of partnerships would you like to develop in the future?
Agence Ometz collaborates with a wide range of public, private, and community organizations. We also contribute our voice and expertise to numerous local networks, professional associations, round tables, and citizen groups.
International exchange to discover best practices
Last December, members of the supported employment services team, including myself, had the opportunity to take part in an international exchange bringing together Agence Ometz, Atelier JEM, and Israel Elwyn, the largest service provider for people with disabilities in Israel.
With the support of the Federation CJA and thanks to the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Beer-Sheva – Bnei Shimon Montreal partnership, a team of Israeli professionals travelled to Montreal last September, and the Montreal teams were able to visit Israel in turn this past winter.
We discovered and analyzed best practices in inclusive employment. This exchange also laid the groundwork for future collaborations, with the aim of creating inclusive and meaningful jobs for our clients.
Collaboration for a micro-credential
We also recently collaborated with McGill on its SCS Cloud Security micro-credential. Thanks to McGill and the National Cyber Security Consortium, as well as the support of the Government of Canada through the Cyber Security Innovation Network program, we were able to cover training costs for many Agence Ometz clients, including those receiving supported employment services. We were able to provide these clients with an entry point into a highly sought-after field.
Photo above: Agence Ometz’s supported employment services team, along with local and international colleagues, visit Posy, an urban flower farm and florist in Montreal that employs neurodivergent individuals and is also a partner of Agence Ometz.
New training and learning opportunities
Looking ahead, we are eager to explore new training and learning opportunities, including other collaborations with McGill. We intend to build upon the professional exchange and continue this collaboration. We are constantly seeking partnerships with communities and organizations that share our vision, for the benefit of our clients.
What goals or projects are you most excited about for the future?
Agence Ometz recently added drop-in hours to its community mental health centre; this is something we are very passionate about, and we hope to be able to offer more and more services. These drop-in hours are part of the Stepped Care Model. This is a research-based service delivery model that includes different pathways to services and is tailored to the specific needs and goals of our clients.
The four pathways are:
- physical spaces where clients can go
- drop-in social groups
- therapeutic groups
- individual clinical support with our professional staff
We successfully piloted this model at L’Annexe, the Ometz centre for young adults, and are now rolling it out to other parts of our agency. These drop-in hours allow us to help more people and offer our clients, many of whom also use our mental health services, supported employment services and access to a broader support community.
Money Matters, our budgeting initiative, is another powerful tool we plan to use more. This program helps our clients, including those using our supported employment services, take control of their finances and their future.
Is there a recent book or film you would recommend?
I recently read Ǫ da gaho dḛ:s: Reflecting on Our Journeys by Gae Ho Hwako (Norma Jacobs) and The Circles of Odagahodhes and edited by Timothy D. Leduc, and I highly recommend it. It’s a book that is very well written and that encourages introspection.
The authors of this book analyze Indigenous knowledge, the profound traces left by colonization and the resulting intergenerational traumas.
The book also offers powerful insights into resilience and the importance of fostering respectful and inclusive relationships, transcending differences.
In your opinion, what contribution from your agency has had the greatest impact this year?
Agence Ometz has distinguished itself through the diversity of programs it offers under one roof. As an integrated services agency, we can offer holistic support. Our clients who use employment support services, for example, can benefit from:
- mental health counselling
- budgeting assistance through the Money Matters program
- resources and activities to help them integrate into the local community as newcomers
- activities, workshops, and training programs to empower young people (ages 16 to 35) and provide them with a meeting place at L’Annexe, the Ometz centre for young adults
Last year, Agence Ometz provided support to over 500 people living with mental health challenges, intellectual disabilities, or autism spectrum disorder.
This support improved their quality of life, well-being, and professional status. We positively influence not only our clients’ professional success but also their overall health and well-being.
To learn more about Agence Ometz or to contact them, visit their website.
Photo above: Edina Markovitz and her colleague Alyssa Lautman at a chocolate-making workshop organized by DeLaMie, an employer partner of Agence Ometz and a social enterprise that creates meaningful employment opportunities for neurodivergent individuals.