National Skills Summit

National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives: Targeted Populations

Charo Community Development Corporation: Workforce Development Center

The Challenge:

To help low-income, predominately Latino residents of East Los Angeles obtain well-paying jobs.

The Solution:

Provide a comprehensive set of services, from life-skills training to business incubation, that addresses all barriers to self-sufficiency.

The Partners:

CHARO (not an acronym), founded by current president and CEO Richard S. Amador in 1967, is a community development corporation (CDC) in East Los Angeles, California. Using a holistic approach to economic development, CHARO develops innovative programs to bring new capital and resources to an otherwise underserved community.

U. S. Department of Labor provided a nearly $4 million Welfare-to-Work grant to support the Workforce Development Center.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services provided a grant to create and launch a matching savings fund for welfare-to-work clients.

The Story:

For six years, Janet Villarreal relied on public assistance to support herself and her son. However, with the implementation of welfare reform in California, Janet had to work part-time in order to continue receiving her benefits. She visited CHARO CDC and enrolled at the Workforce Development Center, where she not only received life-skills training and basic education, but was offered a part-time job as an office assistant in the CHARO office. She continued to work with CHARO's career guidance staff, and prepared for a career in retail. Building off of the relationships that CHARO had developed with neighborhood businesses, Janet landed the job she was looking for. Now earning a full-time salary with benefits as a customer service representative, Janet no longer needs public assistance to support her family. While working full-time and caring for her six-year-old son, she has also completed her associate's degree at a community college and is registered to begin classes at California State in Los Angeles. After receiving so much from CHARO, Janet decided that it was time to give back. On top of her busy life as a mother, student, and worker, Janet goes into the community to recruit other women who can benefit from CHARO's programs.

CHARO CDC uses a holistic solution-based approach to economic development. Beyond simple job training, CHARO focuses on reinvigorating all aspects of individual and community life. In order to support newly-trained workers, CHARO brings new capital and resources to programs, including investments and opportunities from local businesses, entrepreneurial guidance, and matching savings accounts that allow residents to purchase homes and achieve economic stability. The CHARO comprehensive system includes the following components:

Workforce Development Center, to assist people seeking employment.
Entrepreneur Training Center, to assist start-up and fledgling businesses.
Business Assistance Center, to expand and retain existing businesses.
Business Incubator, to house start-up businesses, offering on-site technical assistance and value-added services.
Business and Financial Center, to offer loan-packing services and access to business capital and consumer banking services, including a first-time homebuyer program.
Individual Development Account (IDA) program, to provide financial matches for participating welfare-to-work clients.

In implementing these programs, CHARO is mindful of all possible barriers to employment. For example, nearly all of programs are offered in Spanish and some services are provided in Mandarin. The majority of the services are provided at no charge to eligible clients. Recognizing that transportation is an issue, CHARO also provides transit tokens to help people get to their new jobs. Often CHARO uses its van to take customers to job interviews and provides coaching and support on the way to the interview.

Building from within the community, CHARO works with local business owners to identify staffing needs and requirements. A recent special job fair for a major cable company was attended by more than 107 job candidates. The cable company hired 51 of them and invited 26 more back for a second interview or testing opportunity. In December 1999, a local screen-printing business employed 15 welfare-to-work trainees during the busy holiday season, giving them valuable work experience.

Through the Workforce Development Center, more than 300 job-seekers were assisted in finding full-time employment at living wage rates, ranging from $18,500 to $72,000 per year. The Entrepreneur Training Program graduated over 100 entrepreneurs, many of whom will be able to hire some of their fellow classmates.

A Model of Innovation:

By using a holistic approach to workforce and community development, CHARO is able to tackle multiple barriers to employment and unlock the tremendous potential held by the residents of East Los Angeles. With CHARO's comprehensive set of supportive services, these graduates have the opportunity for stable, productive lives as valuable members of the workforce.

Contacts:

Richard S. Amador, President and CEO
CHARO CDC
4301 E. Valley Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323-269-0751 (p)
323-266-4326 (f)

Yolanda Duarte-White
Vice President,Career Center Manager
CHARO CDC
4301 E. Valley Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323-269-0751 (p)
323-266-4326 (f)

Career Power

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and eleven Hispanic Serving Institutions -- community colleges and colleges -- in conjunction with Local Workforce Development Boards and Private Industry Councils - are intent upon enhancing the skills of America's Latino population. Together, they created CAREER POWER. Aimed at advancing educational and employment opportunities of 1000 Welfare-to-Work clients in Texas, Arizona and California, CAREER POWER doesn't wait for the workers to leave their jobs at the end of the day and travel to traditional classrooms. Instead, state-of-the-art, multimedia, interactive computer technology are used at the employer's work site. Mainstays of the training include GED preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL).