An Update on Affirmative Businesses or Social Firms for People With Mental Illness

Abstract

Social firms, or "affirmative businesses" as they are known in North America, are businesses created to employ people with disabilities and to provide a needed product or service. This Open Forum offers an overview of the development and status of social firms. The model was developed in Italy in the 1970s for people with psychiatric disabilities and has gained prominence in Europe. Principles include that over a third of employees are people with a disability or labor market disadvantage, every worker is paid a fair-market wage, and the business operates without subsidy. Independent of European influence, affirmative businesses also have developed in Canada, the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The success of individual social firms is enhanced by locating the right market niche, selecting labor-intensive products, having a public orientation for the business, and having links with treatment services. The growth of the social firm movement is aided by legislation that supports the businesses, policies that favor employment of people with disabilities, and support entities that facilitate technology transfer. Social firms can empower individual employees, foster a sense of community in the workplace, and enhance worker commitment through the organization's social mission.

Vocational services research: Recommendations for next stage of work

“…The model is designed to provide a number of advantages, including the development of a stronger sense of community in the work setting, greater empowerment of participants, and the infusion of work with a stronger sense of personal mission. Like self-employment interventions, social enterprise interventions are just beginning to be evaluated [91].…”

Directions for Future Patient-Centered and Comparative Effectiveness Research for People With Serious Mental Illness

“…For example, after learning that the city had a significant problem with abandoned scooters in a certain area, managers of the Trieste cooperative recognized an opportunity and staffed a scooter-salvaging workshop with disadvantaged youth, many of whom had histories of stealing scooter parts to sell on the streets. 478 Affirmative businesses empower individuals and foster communities and a sense of commitment though a social mission. In a qualitative study of work life among individuals with serious mental illnesses working in a social enterprise, workers reported a sense of belonging and of competence in being a good worker, and that a quality work life meant establishing relationships with coworkers and supervisors.…”

Estrategias de inserción laboral en población con discapacidad mental: una revisión

“…39 Lo mismo se ha descrito en empresas sociales constituidas en los Estados Unidos, Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Japón y Korea. 40 Sin embargo, dado que los estudios antedichos no son experimentales ni cuasiexperimentales, sus resultados deben observarse con cautela debido a la falta de contrastación con otros modelos de inserción laboral. Por último, al igual que en el empleo protegido, algunos autores señalan que el involucramiento en empresas sociales genera beneficios terapéuticos, incluyendo la disminución de la demanda de los servicios de salud mental, la reducción del aislamiento social y el incremento tanto de la autoconfianza como de la motivación por parte del usuario.…”