1. Workforce Development
July 2005

2. Context The Plan for Transformation
Redevelopment of isolated housing structures into integrated neighborhoods
Re-integration of the population into the fabric of the city
CHA as one of the city’s largest landlords. Plan focused on buildings and on the social isolation fostered by the structures themselves. Buildings beyond maintenance and isolated areas of concentrated poverty that are no longer suitable as places for families to raise their children.

3. Partners
Although CHA has shouldered the work for almost a century, its not CHA alone who is accomplishing this task
If it takes a village to raise a child, it will surely take a city to transform our neighborhoods
Name partners by their contribution Private partners
job opportunities 75 to 100 employers: McKormick, CPS, People’s Gas, McDonalds Corp, local banks)
recreational activities
Public Partners
Governor’s chief of staff States programs serving the same populations
MOWD focus on CHA residents
job training
education
Tenant Leadership
keeps the process well informed
Service providers
link families to opportunities

4. Families with Opportunities Total number of households: 12,606
Population that is the focus of our work by housing type
HCV represents relocatees – our work with them is separated from the other 33, 000 families in the section 8 program
700 families already moved back and 400 units coming on line this year.

5. Achieving self-sufficiency
The Goal for Families
Achieving self-sufficiency
This means families will have income and benefits sufficient to reduce their dependency on public housing and other government subsidies.

6. Results for Families Families are stable
Traditional case management work: links to education, child care, mental health, medical and substance abuse treatment, etc.
Families have more household income
Measures increases in the array of assets coming into a home, including employment, work supports, etc
Families have more housing choices
Includes lease compliance, household budgeting, housing quality standards, etc.
Families are involved in their communities
Focuses on families becoming more connection to local churches, block clubs, and other neighborhood activities.
Assess the needs of CHA families in relation their housing opportunity at CHA
Link families to services and supports that will increase the likelihood that families qualify for housing
Support families in their effort to stay connected and move forward
GOAL: Families make informed choices

7. Tracking Our Success Participation rates Employment Placements
Service Referrals
Status during Move-In
Customer Satisfaction
Data exchanges with The Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Dept. of Employment Security
All Service Providers track information stated above
Participation: outreach, service plans, families making progress toward their goals
Employment: education levels, employment placements, retention, wages, benefits (soon: literacy levels)
Referrals: education, health care, treatment, services
Status during move-in: achieving site specific criteria and moves to low poverty neighborhoods
A data share with CPS and IDES (Chapin Hall) can access and monitor:
Trends in performance in the public school system (drop out rates, test performance, grade attainment)
Concentration of CHA students in various schools for planning purposes
Employment and wage data that show trends over time
Trends in participation with public assistance programs (food stamps)

8. Workforce Development
Education and Job Training for individuals who are motivated to work
Employers who are prepared to make civic commitments to the Plan for Transformation
A Quality Match between an employer’s needs and a residents interests
Support over time for retention and career trajectories
Partnership between our private partners (providing jobs) and Service providers (linking families) have had success with this strategy. (Data Below).
Employment rates among CHA residents increased 2% points since the beginning of the plan (50% to 52%)
Illinois unemployed rates moved in the opposite direction increasing from 4.4 in 1999 to 6.1 in 2005
Employment Placement
Services (Transitional Jobs Program, Service Connector and CHA service providers) 5,209
Section – new hires only FY00-05
Note: CHA committed to identifying 3,000 permanent full-time jobs in the first 5 years of the Plan (source 2002 MTW Annual Plan). CHA exceed that goal in 2004.
Stability and Retention 2004
Total Placements (non Seasonal) 927 Including Seasonal 1124
41% of Service Connector Placements in 2004 have been retained for 30 days. 380
Of those, 85% have been retained for 90 days 323
31% of Placements were in jobs with benefits 287
Section 3 average retention was 5 months
Note: 90 day retention is the industry standard for workforce development agencies (set by the Workforce Investment Act)
Education
Job training referrals (Section 3 and Service providers combined)
Referred Completed 524
City Colleges Scholarships/ University Partnerships FIC
Service Connector outcomes 2004
7796 Cases Opened (88.5% of target)
6937 Cases Active (98.49% of target)
1124 Job Placements
1918 families connected to local resources (churches, block clubs, CAPS, Parks, Youth Programs, etc. )

9. Lessons Learned
CHA and its partners as a learning organization and the PFT as a learning endeavor
Statistics on assessments, referrals and placements are useful.
What’s more important is what we have learned.
Based on our first several years of work, we know much more about workforce development and the needs of our population.

10. Education Levels Among Adults
Service Connector residents at Intake, 2004
Of all residents involved in Service Connector SELF REPORTED
57% report completing high school or GED
37% report entering but not completing high school
7% report dropping out before 8th grade
Employment rates by education level move the opposite direction (those with a higher education level are significantly more likely to be employed)
Education Levels among 2004 Service Connector Clients, Source: Service Connector

11. Literacy Among Adults Of a sample of residents:
84% testing below 8th grade in math proficiency
63% tested below 8th grade in functional literacy
Noting the self reported education levels, some of these low literacy levels appear among high school graduates.

12. Children in CHA Households
59% of households have children living in them
On average, those households have three children in them (2.7).
15% of households have four or more children.

13. CHA Elementary School Children Rates of Failure on Basic Reading Tests
The test of basic reading skills is officially known as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Reading). It is used as a major determinant of whether a child will be promoted or not from 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade.
By age 8, 52% of CHA children are failing basic reading tests
Failure to read on grade level in 3rd grade is a statistically significant predictor of future drop outs
By age 8, one in five CHA children are one or more years behind in school
Children who do not stay with their peer group are more likely to eventually drop out
These numbers include students in special education and exclude bilingual students with less than four years of bilingual education. Special education students were included in this analysis because of the high prevalence of CHA children in special education.
The breakdown of rates of failure by age (with special ed and without bilingual) is as follows:
CHA: Age 8: 52%; Age 9: 52%; Age 10: 51%; Age 11: 51%; Age 12: 51%; Age 13: 42%
African American: Age 8: 41%; Age 9: 40%; Age 10: 40%; Age 11: 40%; Age 12: 37%; Age 13: 33%
All CPS Students: Age 8: 37%; Age 9: 33%; Age 10: 34%; Age 11: 34%; Age 12: 31%; Age 13: 28%
It is important to note that 18-20% of CHA students are scoring above national norms on reading tests.

14. CHA Youth in Public Schools
A CHA youth who attends four years of high school will witness a 48% drop out rate among their peers.

15. Barriers to employment
Literacy: low levels among residents are a profound barrier to employment
Skills: Entry level positions in the global economy often require a skills set that exceeds that of many residents
Work History: a critical mass of residents have little or no work history
Motivation: years of isolation in under-employed communities had a negative impact on motivation to work
Data has us on notice: the next generation is heading this way.

16. Individualized Approach
Leveraging the whole population vs. a tiered approach to current needs:
Employment trajectories for those who are employed
Consistent employment for those who are sporadically employed
Employment skills for those with little or no work history
Inventory of interest level in job opportunities based on market availability
Students of Toby Herr’s work: some individuals may need a series of jobs before making a consistent attachement to the work force
Job categories:
Customer Service
Health Care
Property Management
Food Service
Administration
Skilled Trades

17. Support skills and life experience
Soft interview and job preparation:
Resume writing
Interview skills
Acceptable attire
Professional behavior
Retention Support
Early warning systems for newly employees
Regular follow up with newly employed residents

18. Remaining Questions
Do we need further incentives or consequences to ensure that residents are motivated to take advantage of opportunities?
How do we maximize the liklihood that every one of our citizens can read functionally?
What can the school system do to remediate deficits on school readiness and graduation rates?
What factors in a families life make them more likely to succeed?
Many of the partners here are eager to help. Are there those among you who have jobs in your organizations that would require low literacy levels now? Others who might consider volunteering for a literacy effort?