Ending Center-Based Work at Rise, Inc.

For many years, Rise, Inc., based in Spring Lake Park, has led targeted initiatives to transition people supported in their center-based employment services into competitive, integrated employment. In 2021, Rise made the big commitment to end all subminimum wage work and center-based employment. In spring 2022, they were awarded a Transition to Competitive Wages (TCW) grant from the Department of Human Services to support this transformation. At the start of the grant, Rise supported over 200 people who received subminimum wages; all of those individuals went through an informed choice process and were transitioned to other services of their choosing by the end of March 2024.

A huge change like this can be scary and overwhelming for everyone involved, including staff. Despite some of the uncertainty staff who worked in production at Rise faced, the team has embraced this decision. Led by Michele Morris, the director of industrial services, they have focused on the opportunities and benefits that this transition would bring for both themselves and for the people they support. The short video on this page highlights Rise’s transformation efforts.