Ward 5 Community Workshop on Proposed Multicultural Training & Employment Center - Saturday, September 8th

What: Attend this workshop and share your thoughts on the need for an inclusive job readiness, training, and employment center located in Ward 5 in close proximity to Home Depot.

When: Saturday, September 8th, 9-11:30 a.m.

Where: Noyes Elementary School, 2725 10th Street NE

Etc.: For additional information contact the Ward 5 Council office at 202.724.8028

From Councilman Thomas:

WARD 5 MULTICULTURAL TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT CENTER FACT SHEET

What it is: The Center will be an inclusive training, career, and employment center that will provide a range of services to Ward 5 residents—particularly the residents of Brentwood, Edgewood, and Montana Terrace—and other under-served groups.

Why it’s needed: The Brentwood, Edgewood, and Montana Terrace neighborhoods traditionally have had high rates of unemployment. On average, one in 10 adults in these neighborhoods are unemployed. A Center that addresses employment and training needs is greatly needed for these neighborhoods. An organized system linking contractors and individuals seeking work from contractors at the Home Depot site is also needed.

What it will do: The core mission of the Center will be to provide comprehensive employment and training services to residents of the adjacent Ward 5 neighborhoods and other under-served groups. The Center will offer a wide range of classes, ranging from language immersion to financial literacy and assistance with preparing local and federal income taxes. The Center will also have services geared toward manual laborers, including those seeking work from contractors at the Home Depot site.

Community: The Center will include local labor and community organizations like Israel Baptist Church's Facing It Together (FIT) Academy as partners. The FIT Academy is a neighborhood-based organization with a track record of providing residents of Brentwood, Edgewood, and Montana Terrace with job training and readiness skills. In the past year, the program has placed more than 30 individuals in jobs. By linking with local labor and community organizations and leveraging their program successes, the Center will bring effective employment and job training services to Ward 5 residents and other under-served groups.

A national model: The Center envisioned for Ward 5 has the potential to be a national model showcasing how employment and training services focusing on African-Americans, Latinos, and any other under-served group can be incorporated together in a single, inclusive facility. The Center brings job readiness and placement programs directly to the Ward 5 neighborhoods that need them the most.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Angel Nix at 202.724.8107 or snix@dccouncil.us
Vicky Leonard-Chambers at 202.727.8204 or vleonardchambers@dccouncil.us

» Previous town hall meeting, 8.15.07
» WaPo, 6.17.07, "As Plan for D.C. Day-Laborer Center Idles, Anger Over Workers Grows"
» The Washington Times, 7.5.07, "Day laborers shower us with culture, irrigation"
» The Washington Times, 7.16.07, "Two sites eyed for D.C. day-labor center"