Ramsey County, through its Workforce Solutions Department, developed a new initiative called Families Achieving Success Today (FAST) with the express purpose of finding better paths to employment, and ultimately family and economic stability, for TANF recipients with disabilities and their families. FAST is a partnership of several agencies that provide mental health, vocational rehabilitation, community health care, and TANF employment services —co-located to improve access for families and streamline the delivery of services. A key component of FAST is the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, which many studies have shown increases competitive employment among individuals with severe mental illness.
