Guest blog submitted by Carol Holmes-Chambers, Vice President of Community and Workforce Development, Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, Inc.
Through my years of working alongside the community, I’ve learned that the complexity of solving a problem isn’t always the problem itself. More often, it’s everything surrounding it. It’s getting people to recognize they share the same goals, helping them see that solutions may already exist, and finding the trust to work toward them together. Often, the challenge isn’t recognizing the solution…it’s overcoming fear, power dynamics, competition, resistance to change, and the scarcity mindset that keeps us working in silos instead of collectively toward the solution. It requires us to shift from asking, “How can my organization solve this?” to “How can we solve this together?”
However, I’ve noticed this shift in our Valley.
Over the past year and a half of working with the Assembly for Workforce Solutions, I’ve started to see what’s possible when organizations choose collaboration over competition. Together, we’ve agreed on several practical solutions to strengthen how people access services and opportunities. One of those solutions is the Social Information Exchange Network (SIEN), utilizing the Unite Us platform.
The SIEN is a regional referral network that connects healthcare providers, nonprofits, workforce organizations, educational institutions, and community agencies through a shared system. It enables organizations to make secure referrals, coordinate support, and ensure people receive the services they need. By connecting individuals to the right resources at the right time, we reduce the barriers that often prevent people from obtaining and sustaining employment. Rather than treating employment as an isolated outcome, the SIEN supports a holistic, coordinated approach that strengthens the pathway to long-term economic stability for individuals, while helping employers build and retain a stronger workforce.
The good news is that Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries is sponsoring three-year Unite Us licenses for eligible organizations across our region. If your organization serves as a referral source, receives referrals, or does both, we invite you to become part of the simple solution of creating a more connected system of care by joining our Social Information Exchange Network.
You can easily start the process by completing the Unite Us Onboarding Form Survey. You can also reach out to me directly to learn more at c.chambers@goodwillyoungstown.org.
Additionally, here is a quick overview of how Unite Us works: Unite Us-How it works.
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