NORTH BEND — Working at the North Bend Senior Center is a dream job for Dora Short. She has friendly customers, a considerate boss and a flexible schedule. The job motivates her to get out of the house every morning, which wasn’t always easy for her.

Short’s schizophrenia and paranoia made it hard for her to hold down jobs. She would work for several weeks, then find something she didn’t like about the job. It was too stressful, or she didn’t like her boss. After quitting, she’d get depressed and spend entire days just lying in bed.

This year, however, a local nonprofit helped her break the cycle.

People with mental illnesses still can work, said Cathy Pennington, manager of Working Wonders, a Supported Employment program. But finding a job that fits can be hard.

That’s what Pennington and a fellow employee specialist do. They scout out employment opportunities for their various clients. After discovering their clients’ best skills, they look for a good fit, Pennington explained.

That doesn’t always come easily. Pennington found work for Short at Safeway, The Mill-Casino Hotel and Bay Area Enterprises. Each time, Short stayed for a few weeks, then quit.

Then Pennington approached Larry Moore, owner of Fresh Beginnings Catering. At first he was apprehensive about hiring someone through the Supported Employment program.

“Never having worked with them, I didn’t know if they would be here every day or hit and miss,” he said. “It only took about a week to just fall in love with Dora.”

Moore assigned Short to the senior center. It turned out to be her niche. She washes dishes and cleans the kitchen, dining area and bathrooms. In a pinch, can serve meals. She appreciates the friendly environment and the freedom to work at her own pace.

“I think this is the best placement I could have,” she said. “I’d never leave here— period.”

Short has been working at the center for almost five months. Moore expects to promote her to preparing food and working on recipes. Eventually, she’ll graduate from the Supported Employment program, though seniors don’t need to worry about her going anywhere.

“When the program ends, I will hire her full time,” Moore said. “She is just tremendous. You explain something to her one time and it’s done.”

Pennington has helped place people in jobs as care givers, dishwashers, office workers, waitresses, mechanics and registered nurses. Some come in with entry-level skills, while others have master’s degrees or CPA certificates.

“It’s a  powerful way to empower people who’ve been labeled and have given up hope,” she said. “Mental illness does not equal no strengths or skills.”

In addition to finding jobs, Pennington and another employment specialist help with training. Sometimes that means taking notes during an orientation or working as a liaison between employee and employer.

Pennington has about 38 clients in the program, though that number may shrink with the state’s financial troubles. Much of the funding for the program comes from the Oregon Health Plan. But people who aren’t in the OHP can still get services with payments from the Department of Human Services.

At one point, the Legislature was thinking about cutting all of the DHS funding, Pennington said. The last she heard, it’s slated only to be cut in half. If that happens, clients won’t have as many hours of help.

“We hope we won’t have to lay people off,” she said. “At this time it’s unidentified.”