Higher Expectations A Workforce Development Strategy for Racine County

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Higher Expectations A Workforce Development
Strategy for Racine County

• VISION By 2020, to develop a vital, dynamic
  economy
• characterized by a workforce that is fully
  employed.
• CHALLENGES
• 1. Raising standards and expectations for public
  education
• 2. Supporting stronger, more financially stable
  families
• 3. Creating jobs in communities with
  concentrations of
• unemployed workers
• 4. Enhancing workforce transportation
  alternatives
• 5. Improving job seeker information about
  opportunities in new
• and expanding businesses
• 6. Communicating a more positive community image

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Higher Expectations

• Challenge 2. Supporting stronger,
• more financially stable families
• Many Racine County residents, primarily in
  the central areas of the City of Racine, need
  access to additional education, skill-building
  and family support opportunities so they are
  successful in strengthening their families and
  increasing their financial stability. This will
  help increase the number of reliable and
  productive workers for Racine County employers.

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GLOSSARY OF AFA TERMS

• Family Assets - strengths, skills, behaviors, and
  living conditions which can contribute to healthy
  family functioning and resiliency.
• Family Stability/Success - characteristics that
  support healthy child development such as
  parental mental health, stable relationships
  among parents/caregivers, and positive parenting,
  as well as the consistency of family activities
  and routines.
• Financial Stability - an individual's or family's
  ability to generate and enhance financial wealth
  and manage risks or absorb shocks from crises
  United Way of America cites family ability to
  acquire income greater than 40 of its housing
  costs as a key indicator of success.

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AFA TARGET POPULATION

• The focus of this initiative is to help those
  families with incomes less than 200 of Federal
  poverty levels. Many of the adults may already
  be employed.
• Efforts may be neighborhood-based, taking
  advantage of areas currently served by the COP
  Houses within the City of Racine. Other families
  will be identified with the help of service
  providers. Faith-based organizations will be
  involved. At least 10 families each year will be
  from western Racine County.

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AFA TARGET POPULATION

• Desired characteristics of target families
• Adult head of household has been working at some
  time in the past 12-18 months.
• At least one dependent child in household
• Families show interest/initiative and willing to
  allow case managers to share information.

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DESIRED OUTCOME

• By the end of 2010, no fewer than 100 families
  will have measureably increased their financial
  and family stability. All families will have
  heads of households who are employed.
• The intent is that, with careful project
  evaluation and documentation of successes, these
  two-year cycles are repeated over a 10-year
  period.

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• Local Statistics
• (most recent data available
• based on U.S. Census Bureau
• 2005-2007 three-year Estimates)

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Families

• In 2007, the City of Racine had 9,791 families
  with child(ren) under age 18.
• 5,028 were married couples
• 3,750 were female head of household (no husband)
• 1,013 were male head of household (no wife
  present)
• Of the 1,664 women (ages 15-50) who gave birth in
  the past 12 months, 72 percent were unmarried.

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Family Income

• More than 20 percent of families with children
  in the City of Racine have incomes considered
  Below Poverty Level.
• Out of those 2,017 families below poverty
  level
• 84 percent are single head of household families
• 14 percent are married-couple families
• (According to 2009 Federal Guidelines, the
  poverty level for a family of four is 22,050.)

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Employment

• March, 2009, unemployment rates
• Racine County 10.7 percent
• City of Racine 16.3 percent

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Housing Costs

• The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged
  owners was 1,169, non-mortgaged owners 465, and
  renters 631.
• 49 percent of homeowners and 53 percent of
  renters in Racine spend 30 percent or more of
  their household income on housing.

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Education

• The Racine Unified School District graduation
  rate in 2007-08 was 71.7 percent.
• 88 percent for the three other public school
  districts in the Racine County, and
• 89 percent for the State of Wisconsin.

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Educational Attainment of People in Racine(25
years and older)

• Graduate or professional degree - 6
• Bachelor's degree - 11
• Associate's degree - 7
• Some college, no degree - 21
• High school diploma or equivalency - 37
• Less than high school diploma - 18 

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Education

• Average earnings for those workers with less than
  a high school degree were 18,142 in City of
  Racine.
• Workers with some college or associate degree
  averaged 30,551.
• (Higher Expectations
  data, 2006)

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Health

• 25 of Racine County students grades 9-12
  reported drinking alcohol, 18 reported using
  drugs, and 23 reported being sexually active
  
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  (2006 Youth Survey).
• Of 187,000 persons (all ages) living in Racine
  County between 2004 and 2006, 8 percent described
  themselves as "currently" uninsured.

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• AFA Goals
• and Objectives

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INCOME GOAL

• To establish durable connections between
  families and the mainstream economy.

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Income Objectives

• 1a. Families have adequate income
  to support themselves.
• 1b. Families have access to opportunities to
  build and protect their assets.

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Family members engage in

• securing employment
• improving current level of employment
• obtaining tax benefits (i.e. EITC) and
• taking advantage of special opportunities (i.e.
  stimulus check SSI).

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Family members engage in

• gaining/improving financial literacy
• opening checking and savings accounts
• creating savings plans and
• obtaining assets of home or vehicle.

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Participant Income Metrics

• Employment rates higher earnings
• Families with savings and checking accounts
• Families with improved credit rating
• Dollars returned in terms of EITC
• IDAs (Individual Development Accounts)

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EDUCATION GOAL

• 2. To advance family members' potential to
  achieve their academic/vocational success.

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Education Objectives

• 2a. Children gain knowledge and skills
  for productive adulthood.

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Children engage in

• quality preschool experiences leading to school
  readiness by age 6
• quality afterschool programming and career
  exploration and
• improving school performance through tutoring and
  mentoring.

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Education Objectives

• 2b. Adults gain knowledge and skills
  for employment.

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Adults engage in

• improving job readiness skills for employability
  
• improving job seeking skills
• improving language/reading and math skills
• gaining specific vocational skills and
• participating in internships or apprenticeship
  programs.

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Participant Education Metrics

• Improved school performance
• (attendance, grades, test scores)
• High school graduation
• Adult achievement of language/literacy skills
• Adult achievement of degrees/certification

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HEALTH GOAL

• 3. To assist families in maintaining
• healthy relationships and lifestyles.

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Health Objectives

• 3a. Families demonstrate healthy
  family relationships.
• 3b. Family members demonstrate
  healthy lifestyles.

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Family members engage in

• increasing positive parenting skills
• improving communication between parents and
• increasing father's role in raising children

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Family members engage in

• increasing knowledge of healthy living
• living drug-free lifestyles and
• obtaining health insurance.

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Participant Health Metrics

• Incidence of domestic violence or child abuse
• Incidence of AODA
• Incidence of teen pregnancy
• Children covered by health insurance
• Two-parent households

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Case Management Strategy Individual Success
Plans

• Individual Success Plans (ISPs) intentionally
  guide decisions and actions toward financial
  stability and family success leading to long-term
  independence.

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What is an ISP?

• Written assessment of needs, interests, and
  strengths.
• Involves meaningful discussion of background
  (taking into account where theyre at and where
  theyve been) in order to identify a proper
  action path.
• Offers the family a varied menu of interest areas
  on which to focus.
• Identifies short term and long term actions to
  take.

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Paths to Success
Job-First For those searching for meaningful
employment that meets living wage requirements
for their family.
Education-First For those for whom completing an
additional level of education or training would
increase employability and/or allow them to get a
job to sustain their family.
Family-First For those interested in mending
failed personal relationships to get them back on
track, and improving interpersonal communications
and relationships with children.
Housing-First For those who are facing the
situation of homelessness due to failure to pay
rent or other temporary circumstances, and those
who need to protect or enhance their housing
assets.
Assets-First For those who need to increase
their financial literacy and become banked by
opening savings and checking accounts, reducing
debt and creating savings plans.
Health-First For those with health issues as a
priority. Gives family members the opportunity
to have a professional assessment to address the
issues that may be hindering their progress.
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Case Management Process

• Family Referred or Walk in
• Intake Meeting
• Goal Setting
• Individual Success Plan
• Follow Up
• Graduation

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Role of the Family Coach

• conduct intake and collect appropriate
  information on family progress
• develop ISPs that are determined jointly with the
  client/family
• increase clients understanding of available
  programs and services
• ensure that individuals and families receive the
  support they need

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Responsibilities of the Family Coach

• recognize and encourage the clients personal
  responsibility and accountability
• advocate improving the overall quality of support
  clients receive
• respect family privacy and confidentiality needs
  while handling sensitive information and sharing
  information with other providers

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• Project Timeline
• July December, 2008
• identify and recruit core group members
• conduct baseline research
• convene core group
• reach consensus on plan of action
• host large scale community meeting
• complete 2-year implementation plan
• overall plan complete with 6-month work plan
  and budget

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• Project Timeline
• 2009
• Jan-June - AFA staff hired
• - conduct focus groups
• - identify and recruit 50
  families for 2009
• - families sign participation
  contracts
• - families connected to appropriate services,
• programs and resources
• July - conduct 6-month review of progress
• December - adjust plan as needed
• - recruit additional families
• - prepare to repeat cycle of services

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• Project Timeline
• By the end of 2010, no fewer than 100 families
  will have measureably increased their financial
  and family stability. All families will have
  heads of households who are employed.
• The intent is that, with careful evaluation
  and documentation of successes, these cycles are
  repeated over a 10-year period.