Mi Casa Resource Center

Business pathways business pathways, which operates the women's business Center under the u.s. small business administration, provides comprehensive support services for underserved business owners and entrepreneurs with particular focus on women, minorities, and low-income clients. Services include knowledge and skill building through workshops, intensive training, one-on-one consulting, industry-focused connections, access to capital, legal support, financial coaching and wraparound supports. This programming supports participants through all stages of business development from start-up to growth and expansion. Business ownership is an essential strategy for economic independence, both for business owners and their employees. In low-income communities, business ownership generates wealth through generations, creating a ripple effect of increased prosperity in families and communities. Mcrc offers all business pathways programming in english and spanish to serve the most vulnerable members of our community. Business pathways offers a modular training series to support entrepreneurs at every phase of business ownership, from ideation to growth and expansion. With four modules (plan, launch, manage, and grow), training covers creation of an elevator pitch and business plan, marketing, key business strategies, fiscal and financial responsibility, and more. Business owners can join the module most suited to their needs. Program success is measured through program completion rates, businesses launched, revenue generated, and jobs created or retained. Business pathways collaborates with local community partners to prevent involuntary displacement by supporting business owners. Additionally, we administer a probopat program, which refers qualified low-income inventors to volunteer patent professionals. Probopat serves residents of Colorado, Montana, new mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and is part of a nationwide network of patent pro bono services coordinated by the u.s. patent & trademark office. Other community resources such as financial coaching, digital lending and skill building, english as a second language (esl) classes, free legal advice, and tax preparation services augment the important work of the business pathways program. Mcrc partners with a range of government agencies, community development financial institutions (cdfis), and local community and nonprofit partners to provide these additional services. Mcrc provides wraparound navigation services to guide participants to these resources in order to increase their success. Navigators use a strengths- based support to combine goal setting with action plans to meet potential barriers such as transportation, childcare, housing, and food access.

Career pathways career pathways trains, supports, and connects low-income youth and jobseekers to high-demand careers that meet their personal and professional needs. With mcrc's support, participants gain the education and skills needed to generate income, move up career ladders, and build wealth through business ownership. Career pathways framework includes knowledge and skill building, industry- specific support, educational pathways, confidence and sustainable success, systemic equity, and digital access and technology. Career pathways offers a holistic approach that addresses the personal and professional needs of low-income youth and adults. With multiple entry points that include navigation, coaching, training, and postsecondary connection, mcrc creates pathways to career placement and advancement. Mcrc's navigation services use a strength-based approach that identifies attitudes, capacity, levels of self-determination, and community and family resources. Mcrc's strength-based employment success coaching offers one- on-one support throughout the job search and employment process. Career pathways offers three trainings. Career readiness builds foundational career exploration and soft skills. Financial services training prepares youth and adult jobseekers for immediate, high-demand employment in the financial services sector. Professional services training prepares participants in skills for immediate entry-level employment in legal, human services, medical and healthcare administration, and management support positions. In partnership with the community college of aurora (cca), metropolitan state university of denver (msu denver), and local banks and credit unions, mcrc built a first-of-its-kind stackable credential pathway for the financial services industry to on-ramp learners to meaningful employment and postsecondary credentials simultaneously. Both adult learners and high school students can earn postsecondary credentials through prior learning assessments and jumpstart their path to higher education, while also receiving personalized coaching from a student services coordinator who supports them along their path. In 2022, Mi Casa was awarded the good jobs challenge and began building out two additional stackable credential models: human resources with metropolitan state university - denver and medical administration with arapahoe community college. Planning activities were conducted in 2022 for this model. In partnership with two high schools, mcrc provides career skills and financial services training through a contextualized digital literacy learning environment for high school seniors. Pwr is rooted in the positive youth development (pyd) framework to support young people in ways that are developmentally appropriate and meaningfully address their needs. Other community resources such as financial coaching, digital lending and skill building, english as a second language classes, free legal advice, and tax preparation services augment the important work of the career pathways program. Mcrc partners with a range of government agencies, community and local community and nonprofit partners to provide these additional services.