A few days ago, I co-hosted a national conference call with providers of employment services that work with people who are homeless. John Rio of Advocates for Human Potential co-hosted the meeting. We heard that these providers are struggling to find jobs for their clients in the current economic paradigm. In Seattle, the YWCA has cancelled job fairs because there weren't enough employers. In Bridgeport, CT, they are seeing the most activity in years at their career center, and seeing far more people than usual who have lost their jobs recently and become homeless. In Portland, they have hit a 25-year high in unemployment (10%). Many providers said they are noticing that employers that previously hired people with criminal histories and people with significant gaps have become much more selective in who they hire. All in all, really discouraging news for many workers, but those with significant barriers to employment, such as mental illness, domestic violence, lack of childcare resources, and homelessness, are hit the hardest.

There was common agreement that more advocacy efforts are needed to ensure that people with the most challenges,including homeless people, are afforded the opportunity to work. As the federal stimulus package is finalized later this month, and the State of Washington leglislature and Governor work to stimulate our state economy, we must not only think of people who are newly unemployed, but also those who have been chronically unemployed or under-employed. FYI, Building Changes is taking on a larger role in federal and state policymaking through our advocacy efforts -- two of our most senior staff, Betsy Lieberman (our founding and current Executive Director) and Donald Chamberlain (Research, Evaluation & Policy Strategist), are heading up our state and federal advocacy efforts related to housing, services and employment for homeless individuals in our state.

The providers on the conference call as well as other providers we meet with have indicated interest in continuing to meet to share strategies for meeting the needs of homeless job seekers, and Advocates for Human Potential and Building Changes will continue to provide forums for peer learning in the coming year. Let us know if you are interested in taking part in future discussions.

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One additional note: Check out this article in The Nation, which highlights the need for a deep, consistent response to the 25-year old homelessness crisis in the U.S. Unfortunately, however, neither the article nor the federal homeless advocacy agenda emphasizes the need for more resources for training and JOBS for the homeless!