Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships News

Fall 2011

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Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Takes Job Clubs Initiative on the Road

Regional Events Promote Partnerships with Workforce Investment System

This fall, the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships fanned across the country to promote the valuable work of job clubs and career ministries in getting Americans back to work. The first stop was Atlanta, Ga., where Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis headlined CFBNP's first regional job clubs symposium at Cascade United Methodist Church. More than 300 leaders from the faith community and local workforce development system shared resources and explored partnerships. The next stop was Cleveland, Ohio, where Mt. Zion Congregational Church hosted the CFBNP and headliner Jay Williams, director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities & Workers. Nearly 200 people from across Northeast Ohio attended, representing faith-based organizations, nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. Bruce Madson, who leads the Employment Services division of Ohio's Department of Job and Family Services, set the tone for the day's event by emphasizing the need for public/private partnerships in a time of dwindling resources and tremendous need.

In addition to the Atlanta and Cleveland symposia, CFBNP also held job club training sessions in Detroit, Chicago, and Brevard County, Fla., to connect with existing job clubs in these places and encourage the creation of new groups. A few local visits to Washington D.C. area job clubs and ministries rounded out this fall's tour. Secretary Solis joined CFBNP at a Tuesday evening gathering of the Career Network Ministry at McLean Bible Church where she addressed a large group of job seekers in transition. CFBNP also visited the inaugural meeting of the Fort Meade Employment Support Group, which works with military spouses who are new to the area and have limited professional contacts.  

Keep an eye out in the coming months in your local region as CFBNP looks to continue hosting more of these events across the country. If you have any questions or ideas for the Job Clubs Initiative please contact Ashley Gerwitz at gerwitz.ashley@dol.gov.

Job Club Success Stories

During their travels this fall, the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships staff met hundreds of inspiring people participating in job clubs. Here are some of the stories of job club leaders, employers, and job seekers.

Patricia Norman

Patricia Norman runs the Employment Network Ministry at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia.

What services does the Employment Network Ministry provide to jobseekers?

"Our goal is to provide job seekers at various career levels with access to job leads, recruiters and other hiring officials. By pooling our resources and contacts we are able to provide members of the community with a variety of free professional services and resources."

How would you describe the relationship between your ministry and employers?

"Numerous employers come on site for recruiting and information sessions during the week or on Sundays after service to discuss their job opportunities and how to apply with their corporations. Some of those companies have included AT&T, Waffle House and FedEx Ground. Waffle House hired more than 15 people from our group, including several managers."

Greg Bright

Greg Bright is a recruiter from the Waffle House and has partnered with Patricia Norman and Employment Network Ministry to help fill vacancies:

Why work with Patricia and the Employment Network Ministry to recruit candidates?

"When I am looking to fill openings, I immediately think to contact Patricia. Within a matter of minutes, Patricia is setting up times for me to drop by her ministry to meet with job seekers. After mass on Sundays, I set up a table in the lobby and pass out applications. Most recently, Waffle House has hired two young men from New Birth – one as a Unit Manager and another as a Management Trainee."

Gerald Hooks

Gerald Hooks is one of the job seekers from Employment Network Ministry who was hired as a Unit Manager at Waffle House.

"Without the networking opportunity at my church, I would have never known about this job opening. After a great initial conversation with Greg and two interviews, I was on my way to a lifelong career as a manager in the food industry, like I had always dreamed. I have been on the job for about a month now and I'm proud to say that I finally have a job that I can consider a career."

Yvonne Tufts Jeans

Yvonne Tufts Jeans leads Jobs Partnership Cleveland at Mt. Zion Congregational Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

What makes Jobs Partnership successful?

"Jobs Partnership Cleveland works with its participants in finding jobs and renewing their own courage to face anything life has to offer. With our encouragement, job seekers are able to jump into the job market, make strong impressions on employers and obtain jobs. We have wonderful mentors who inspire our participants to hang in there when they are ready to give up hope. Members feel obligated to 'do right' by Jobs Partnership and are more likely to be conscientious in the workplace. We have also seen miracles in bringing struggling families back together. In some cases, one or both parents are unemployed, which is hard on the entire family."

How does faith go hand-in-hand with finding a job?

 "We can teach our participants how to successfully interview for a job, but until the heart changes they are not going to be able to obtain and sustain a job. Without dealing with the heart component, we are only getting half the job done."

Emma Daniels

Emma Daniels is a recent graduate of Jobs Partnership Cleveland and is currently employed at Fairfax Health Center, a local nursing home facility.

How did Jobs Partnership Cleveland help you?

"I thought I would never find a job. I remember one of my darkest moments, my car broke down, my unemployment benefits had been cut and I was repeatedly being turned down for jobs. Jobs Partnership Cleveland was a strong support group that provided me with the encouragement I needed. I made the commitment to put everything I had into this program. I have landed my dream job at Fairfax Health Center and I truly enjoy what I do."

Traci Nolen

Traci Nolen is a Training and Program Development Coordinator for Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Programs, the local Workforce Investment Act agency serving 23 counties across Eastern Kentucky. Traci recently established a pilot job club program that helped 25 out of 36 participants land a job.

What makes EKCEP Job Club unique?

"EKCEP's Job Club is a gateway for job seekers to become familiar with the endless resources that One-Stop Centers provide. We bring employers and job seekers together in a natural environment and give job seekers the unique perspective of human resource professionals."

What's next for your job club?

"We plan to expand across Kentucky and make Job Clubs an option for all Kentuckians in convenient, community locations. Some job seekers may be 20 miles away from the closest One-Stop Center, lack Internet access, and are unaware of the resources that are available to them."

Douglas Owens

Douglas Owens is a military veteran and recent member of EKCEP's Job Club.

How did EKCEP's Job Club assist you in finding a job?

"Without EKCEP Job Club, I would not be successfully employed today. I gained vital networking skills and was kept up-to-date with current job leads. The one-on-one connections that I was able to make at the job club meetings with employers and veterans recruiters were what truly made the job club a valuable experience. I currently hold a security job with Allied Barton, which I obtained by attending EKCEP's Job Club. I still attend meetings, but with a new motive – to help recruit job club members on behalf of my new employer."

Department of Labor Seeks to Strengthen Protections for Vulnerable Workers

Efforts Include Staffing, "MOUs," and Outreach

From her first days on the job, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis expressed her commitment to ensuring that all workers, and especially the most vulnerable workers in low-wage industries, take home what they earn and enjoy a safe and healthy workplace. The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships has been working closely with the department's worker protection agencies to engage these workers and educate them about their protections under federal labor law. For example, the CFBNP is coordinating with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Alliance program, which develops partnerships with non-government organizations to promote worker safety. With CFBNP's help, OSHA recently signed national alliances with two nonprofits, the National Council of La Raza and the Restaurant Opportunities Center. 

CFBNP also works with the Wage and Hour Division, which recently created a new staff position in about 15 district offices called CORPS — Community Outreach & Resource Planning Specialists. The CORPS seek to bridge WHD's outreach and enforcement efforts by working closely with the community. WHD Deputy Administrator Nancy Leppink recently hosted a webcast to outline WHD's recent strategies and accomplishments, such as a new industry-focused enforcement approach and an MOU with the Internal Revenue Service in 11 states that addresses the issue of misclassification, a growing concern at WHD where an employer improperly classifies a wage employee as an independent contractor, shortchanging both government revenues and employee compensation.

Finally, the CFBNP is partnering with the department's Women's Bureau and Office of Public Engagement on a new vulnerable workers series. These webcasted events will examine the economic hardships faced by workers and how the department and other groups across the country are addressing these challenges. Last month, Secretary Solis kicked off the series with an event focused on workers in the restaurant industry. One of the fastest growing industries, restaurants employ more than 10 million people, many of whom earn poverty wages and have no access to benefits like paid leave to care for a sick child or parent. Future webcasts will look at domestic workers and immigrant workers.

Featured Links

• Eat Shop Sleep App for the iPhone/iPad mashes up restaurant, shop, and hotel reviews with health/labor information
• National Association of Community Job Clubs, a newly formed group, supports job clubs that adhere to the best practices of organizational design, program development, and service delivery
• Creating Pathways to Opportunity Report highlights Obama Administration's accomplishments in helping underserved communities

Grant Opportunities

• Department of Labor's new Grants Webpage provides a list of all open grant competitions and a searchable database of recent grant awards

For more information about the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
at the Department of Labor, visit http://www.dol.gov/cfbnp/.