Cara Collective

Kathleen St. Louis Caliento, President and CEO

Economic Mobility

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Cara Collective engages job seekers, employers, and other organizations to build an inclusive economy by developing employment pathways to advance transformative individual and community success.

Year Founded: 1991

Cara Collective reconnects individuals from communities facing major barriers to economic mobility with the power of gainful employment. The organization’s program combines leadership development, wraparound supportive services, transitional job experiences, permanent job placement, and personal and professional coaching services. Refined over more than three decades, Cara Collective’s approach has a dual focus on both workplace competencies and socio-emotional skills to fully support untapped or nontraditional talent and ensure the success of its program participants.

Since 1991, Cara Collective has supported more than 10,800 people with getting placed into more than 17,200 jobs. Currently, Cara Collective engages more than 1,000 job seekers annually, with employed program participants earning more than $13.9M in wages. Additionally, Cara Collective estimates a social return on investment of $5.97 for every $1, including through annualized savings to society through a reduced need for government benefits, substance abuse treatment, and healthcare subsidies