2,200 unemployed Chicagoans get jobs and training with help from foundations and federal stimulus package

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More than 2,000 Chicagoans will receive up to 16 weeks of combined paid work experience and job training through Chicago Neighborhood JobStart, which launched in June and captures millions of federal stimulus dollars temporarily available to states for subsidized employment programs.

JobStart is a legacy of the 2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods, a philanthropic collaborative established in 2008 to support communities most impacted by the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Games and help ensure they would benefit, regardless of the outcome.

JobStart will provide both short- and long-term benefits for low-income people in 2016 Fund priority communities – Douglas, East Garfield Park, Englewood, Grand Boulevard, Kenwood, Lower West Side, North Lawndale, Near South Side, Near West Side, Oakland, South Lawndale, Washington Park and Woodlawn – many of which struggle with historically high unemployment rates.

The 2016 Fund acted quickly to create JobStart by putting forward $2 million, plus in-kind employer donations, to leverage more than $18 million from a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Contingency Fund via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Illinois Department of Human Services.

A component of the state's effort to combat the economic recession through job creation, JobStart is unique in its focus on hard-to-serve individuals – low-income, low-skilled job seekers who need additional support to overcome employment barriers and engage in the world of work.

JobStart participants will earn between $8.25 and $10.00 per hour working in a range of positions at places from community-based businesses to large corporations. About 60 percent are expected to find unsubsidized employment or continue with further training or education after completing the program.

In launching JobStart under a very tight timeline, Chicago benefited from relationships and infrastructure already in place due to the 2016 Fund as well as successful workforce development initiative Opportunity Chicago, which focuses on public-housing residents. Co-founded by The Partnership, the Chicago Housing Authority and City of Chicago, Opportunity Chicago aims to help 5,000 public-housing residents prepare for and find employment over five years (2006-2010).

Selected through a competitive process, the 12 JobStart grantees are among Chicago’s most experienced and effective transitional jobs providers, several of which also are involved in Opportunity Chicago. Alternative Schools Network, Association House of Chicago, Centers for New Horizons, Central States SER, Chicago Housing Authority, Heartland Human Care Services, Inspiration Corporation, National Able Network, OAI, Inc., Phalanx and the Safer Foundation will serve adults. Chicago Housing Authority, Phalanx and Westside Health Authority will provide programs for young adults.

“We know that lower-skilled workers struggle to find quality jobs in any economy,” said Hibbs. “The good news is that Chicago, through public-private cooperation, has put itself in a strong position to address this issue on a large scale, and even to serve as a model for other cities struggling with similar issues.”

Contributors to the 2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods include The Boeing Company; The Chicago Community Trust; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; McCormick Foundation; Polk Bros. Foundation; Wieboldt Foundation, and one anonymous donor. The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation also contributed to JobStart.

 

Crain's Chicago published an article about the 2016 Fund and JobStart on July 19 - check it out here.

 

 

 

 

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