National and local experts explore best practices for balancing work requirements with workforce development strategies for public housing residents
On November 1, 2007, MPC hosted its
12th
Building Successful Mixed-Income
Communities
forum, revisiting the topic of Jobs, Training and Workforce
Development. Over 100 people attended the forum, co-sponsored by the John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in coordination with the Chicago Housing
Authority (CHA), and heard a panel discussion on strategies for balancing work
requirements and workforce development programs in the context of CHA’s Plan for
Transformation. The topic of the day coincided with recent media coverage and
community attention to CHA’s expansion of work requirements beyond mixed-income
sites to traditional developments and voucher holders, creating a larger need
for adequate workforce training and support for all CHA residents.
While previous forums have focused primarily on the
new mixed-income sites, beginning in 2008 the time is ripe to expand the
conversation to the broader goals of the Plan, which include self sufficiency
goals for residents in the rehabs, scattered sites, and those with vouchers. If
achieved, these communities will also be mixed and vibrant.
Because current plans for work
requirements and innovative service strategies are being expanded beyond the new
mixed-income communities, the November 1st discussion began that foray into a
broader discussion about the entire Plan for Transformation.
MarySue Barrett, MPC president,
welcomed the audience and Maria Hibbs, executive director of
the Partnership for New Communities and MPC Housing Committee
member, moderated the panel. Sharon Gist Gilliam, CEO of CHA,
and Evelyn Diaz
,
deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard M.
Daley, made opening remarks. Panelists included:
Panelists (l to r): Sherissa Cross, Stacy Ganea, Bill Goldsmith, Sharon Gist
Gilliam, and Maria Hibbs (speaking)
Gilliam outlined CHA’s aim to adopt a 15-hour work requirement for residents
in traditional public housing and those with vouchers by July 2008, with a goal
to expand the requirement to 20 hours by January 2010. Gilliam stressed that
fulfilling work requirements goes beyond employment and includes education,
training, community service and other activities that advance progress towards
self-sufficiency. Traditional public housing developments are undergoing
extensive rehabilitation, she said, and residents there deserve the same
benefits of the changing culture of public housing -- personal responsibility
and active engagement in life and society – as those in the new mixed-income
communities. That said, some residents face multiple barriers to this level of
engagement, so new requirements must be accompanied by increased opportunities
and availability of supportive services and workforce development programs.
Gilliam emphasized the Plan for Transformation is not just about CHA, but many
other partners -- social service providers, faith-based and community
organizations, developers, foundations and other city agencies. Furthermore, the
coordination, support and buy-in from the Mayor give Chicago advantage over
other cities, she said.
Diaz described Opportunity Chicago
, a $23 million initiative launched in 2006 by the Partnership for New
Communities, Chicago Housing Authority and Mayor’s Office of Workforce
Development. Recently extended to 5 years (2006-2010), the initiative is already
exceeding its goals of increasing access to job training and moving CHA families
to permanent employment. Key strategies of the initiative include: expanding and
improving existing successful workforce development programs, engaging
employers, increasing resident engagement in available programs through more
comprehensive assessments, extensive data collection and ongoing evaluation of
the initiative.
Diaz distinguished her previous role at Chicago Jobs Council
, the organization responsible for coordinating and
facilitating Opportunity
Chicago, from her new
role as an advisor who can help make the integration of city departments
possible. She mentioned two other relevant initiatives the city is undertaking:
Chicago LEADS, a two-year effort to align education and workforce development
programs in four industries (hospitality, health care, transportation, finance);
and an effort to engage businesses who employ low-wage workers to increase their
investment in training and other programs for their workforce. Diaz also
reiterated a message from Mayor Daley, emphasizing his commitments to expanding
opportunities through education, training and jobs and to the mixed-income
approach, which should be “a standard for communities throughout the
city.”
Glover, of the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA),
spoke broadly of the misleading vision of “failed” families in public housing
and the reality of their “unlimited human potential.” According to Glover,
previous public housing policies reinforced an overall assumption that families
who need assistance are unable to function in society, and apparently the world
of work. Under her leadership, AHA focused on two important concepts when
devising a strategy for improving the lives of those in public housing: quality
of environment and high expectations. AHA’s goal was to intentionally end
“warehousing” of the poor and improve the physical environment of its housing.
In addition, AHA sought to raise standards by instituting a requirement to
“engage” in work through education, training or actual employment.
Following a deregulation agreement with the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), AHA has successfully
implemented work requirements in its mixed-income developments over the past
decade, with a 93 percent participation rate in those sites. In the fall of
2004, AHA began including a “commitment to work” as part of its resident lease
agreement and required one adult member of each household to engage in 30 hours
of work. The expansion of the work requirement beyond mixed-income sites came
after investing millions in workforce development for residents living in other
public housing with little success. As of October 2007, 83 percent of residents
in non-mixed income sites are compliant.
Glover stressed the importance of standards and
expectations while acknowledging the need for human services delivered on a
family-by-family basis. It’s unacceptable to create systems that “discriminate”
against public housing residents with labels and low expectations. Research on
the adverse effects of poverty often get left out of the planning process, said
Glover, but they must be considered for successful policies and implementation.
Goldsmith, of The Community Builders Inc. (TCB), began
by describing the forum as “a blessing and a curse,” emphasizing how critical it
is to share “all the victories and our greatest fears” in an open environment
since the success of mixed-income sites is not guaranteed. In addition to being
the developer of Oakwood
Shores
(formerly Madden/Wells), TCB is involved in
fourteen other mixed-income neighborhood revitalization projects across the
country. His presentation
focused on a new TCB “Green
House” initiative to develop a housing-based practice model for its communities,
based on lessons learned, to deliberately impact “upward mobility for working
families” and rebuild community culture and supports in these neighborhoods. The
new effort focuses on three strategies- adult financial success, support for
youth, and building social capital.
Goldsmith described “the promise of mixed-income
communities” to give people the opportunity to transition from the public system
to the market and stressed the importance of moving from “the addictive powers
of entitlement” to “market-place thinking.”
He stressed property management must move
from a “transactional” environment to a “nurturing” one that provides an
opportunity to engage residents in financial and career resources. He also
discussed the challenges for developers of mixed-income communities and the
importance of mitigating negative impacts on turnover, property wear and tear,
and occupancy in market rate units. Investing in “resident prosperity“ increases
the overall value of the community and benefits developers as owners and
stakeholders in the real estate.
Ganea, a recruitment manager
at
Chicago’s State St. Macy’s, described Macy’s partnerships
with a number of community organizations to recruit potential employees,
focusing on the relationship with TCB and
Oakwood
Shores
residents. From an employer
perspective, she shared four elements that make the TCB partnership successful:
knowing what the employer is looking for, building trust through honest feedback
between employer and TCB job developer, hiring “caring” employees who are
confident, and having ongoing communication about opportunities. In its two-year
partnership with TCB, Macy’s has hired 39
Oakwood
Shores
residents.
Sherissa Cross describes her employment at Macy's
Cross, a resident of
Oakwood
Shores
and Macy’s employee, spoke of her history as a
former Ida B. Wells resident and her engagement in workforce development
services provided at
Oakwood
Shores
. After working with TCB staff to
identify her job interests and prepare for the interview process, she was hired
as a seasonal employee at Macy’s and is currently in her second term, with the
prospect of a full-time position. Cross described the work requirements and
employment programs at
Oakwood
Shores
as an overall positive experience.
Ganea and Cross underscored the valuable work
of the dedicated staff who linked them to one another and prepped both for a
successful interaction.
Both
stressed how critical it is to invest in such qualified professionals in this
field, if broader policy goals are to be achieved.
A brief Q&A session followed the panelists’
presentations. Below is a sampling of topics that were addressed:
-
Advice for residents about engaging in workforce
development programs and finding employment
-
Cross said people should “get behind their
fears” and do things for themselves because “you can’t depend on the
system.”
-
Residents’ ability to meet work requirements
-
Glover said even with 10 years experience in
Atlanta , any standard such as work requirements calls for “good judgment”
or it will fail. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis. After
expanding work requirements in Atlanta , 83% of residents are working
without a “push” from AHA. She now focuses on the 17% who are non-compliant.
She stressed the need for social workers to help families overcome obstacles
rather than property managers alone.
-
Gilliam said CHA anticipated the possibility of
residents not having stable employment “through no fault of their own” and
has given a one-year cure period as long as they are engaged with a service
provider.
-
Evictions/moves as a result of non-compliance with
work requirements
-
Glover said there have been evictions in
Atlanta
and
described this as a “conventional” problem. She did not have a count for the
mixed-income sites but estimated 100 evictions since Nov. 2004 in
traditional developments and the voucher program. She stressed “if you don’t
enforce, people don’t believe you’re serious,” but “by and large, people
want the same opportunities.”
-
Access to childcare
-
Goldsmith said affordable, dependable childcare is
essential if heads of households who are primarily mothers are expected to
work. Oakwood Shores has several partnerships and plans for facilities to
provide child care and youth activities. He also pointed out the importance
of access to transportation options.
-
Glover stressed “partnerships, partnerships,
partnerships.”
-
Gilliam said through HOPE VI, CHA can pay for a
certain amount of child care services. Also, many CHA developments are
located in neighborhoods historically served by a number of non-profit and
community-based organizations. Services are often available, but it’s a
matter of making residents aware of the opportunities. She said the larger
problem is after-school care for youth ages 10-17 years who are “too old for
daycare and park district programs, but too young for work.”
-
Employer perspective- what makes a “successful”
employee?
-
Ganea said potential employees who show up in
person and do “investigative work” stand out. In addition, candidates who
work with organizations such as TCB that are “hands-on” and involved in
bringing them to interviews often have better prospects for employment and
success.
- Funding for human services
-
Glover said HOPE VI funds have been critical for
AHA, but HUD does not offer much financial support for human service
programs. Partnerships are key. Also, through HUD’s Moving to Work block
grants, AHA has funding for relocating families at 10 developments for a
period of 27 months.
-
Gilliam reiterated the need for partnerships and
the flexibility of Moving to Work grants for CHA, but said that funding will
not be available in the long-term. She said “the time is now, because we
have the money now.”
-
Hibbs said using funding from other sources such
as through the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development or the Workforce
Investment Act is a critical strategy.
For more information
on the Plan for Transformation, visit MPC's Public Housing in the Public Interest
page or CHA's
website.