Training Program Aims to Help Struggling Women Find Paths to Success

WGN Radio

 

December 13, 2010

Heartland Alliance works with employers to offer financial literacy classes to women at their workplaces.

 

From WGN Radio:

Gloria Guzman is one motivated worker.

After completing the “school at work” program offered by her employer, St. Anthony Hospital, Guzman was given a 10 percent raise and more responsibility this year. She was promoted to supervisor of the transportation department, where she manages seven employees, handles payroll and helps out with special reports.

“I like the fact they trusted me with the position,” Guzman said. “I hope to move up to manager and maybe director.”

Guzman’s ambition is shared by the Chicago-based Eleanor Foundation, which funded the program at St. Anthony because it realizes that women often get stuck in modest-paying jobs.

With little discretionary income, many women can’t afford additional education on their own that might accelerate their careers, said Rosanna Marquez, president of the Eleanor Foundation, which supports educational initiatives that help lower-income working women.

With less likelihood of being promoted, working women are at greater financial risk. Yet most fly under the radar because they don’t meet federal poverty guidelines and, therefore, don’t qualify for government assistance, Marquez said. That’s one reason the Eleanor Foundation decided to fund initiatives aimed at putting women on a path to better-paying jobs.

“Many working women are barely making do,” Marquez said. “They’ve been just scraping by. But they don’t draw attention to themselves because they are too busy trying to feed and house their kids.”

The Foundation invests about $1 million a year in skills-based programs designed to lead women to jobs paying $40,000 or more annually, Marquez said. That’s considered the minimum needed to provide food on the table and a roof over their families’ heads, though it doesn’t leave much for anything else.

In the Chicago area, a disproportionate number of women-led households are considered “housing-burdened,” with 30 percent to 50 percent of their income spent on housing, or “housing distressed,” with more than 50 percent of their income going to pay the rent or mortgage, according to the Eleanor Foundation-UIC report.

Three out of four women-led households in Chicago were housing-burdened in 2008, up from 60 percent in 2000, the report said. During the same period, the percentage of women-led housing-distressed households rose to 57 percent from 46 percent in 2000.

“These are women who are working, playing by the rules and still not making a lot of gains,” said Joe Antolin, executive director, of Heartland Human Care Services, which launched an initiative to help women improve their financial security.

The problem of modest wages and no clear path to upward mobility affects not just the women but also their children, who are considered at risk, Antolin said.

“At the end of the day, we have to think about the kids in these families. We need them to be well-enough educated so that they can lead self-sufficient lives,” he said.

Heartland works with employers to offer financial literacy classes to women at their workplaces, teaching them how to manage their finances. To encourage women in its programs to save some portion of their paycheck, Heartland double-matches the savings up to $400. About 90 employers offer Heartland’s program to workers.

“They see this as added value because it reduces turnover,” Antolin said. “Workers are less stressed and more productive.”

Read More »

WGN Radio

 

December 13, 2010

Heartland Alliance works with employers to offer financial literacy classes to women at their workplaces.

 

From WGN Radio:

Gloria Guzman is one motivated worker.

After completing the “school at work” program offered by her employer, St. Anthony Hospital, Guzman was given a 10 percent raise and more responsibility this year. She was promoted to supervisor of the transportation department, where she manages seven employees, handles payroll and helps out with special reports.

“I like the fact they trusted me with the position,” Guzman said. “I hope to move up to manager and maybe director.”

Guzman’s ambition is shared by the Chicago-based Eleanor Foundation, which funded the program at St. Anthony because it realizes that women often get stuck in modest-paying jobs.

With little discretionary income, many women can’t afford additional education on their own that might accelerate their careers, said Rosanna Marquez, president of the Eleanor Foundation, which supports educational initiatives that help lower-income working women.

With less likelihood of being promoted, working women are at greater financial risk. Yet most fly under the radar because they don’t meet federal poverty guidelines and, therefore, don’t qualify for government assistance, Marquez said. That’s one reason the Eleanor Foundation decided to fund initiatives aimed at putting women on a path to better-paying jobs.

“Many working women are barely making do,” Marquez said. “They’ve been just scraping by. But they don’t draw attention to themselves because they are too busy trying to feed and house their kids.”

The Foundation invests about $1 million a year in skills-based programs designed to lead women to jobs paying $40,000 or more annually, Marquez said. That’s considered the minimum needed to provide food on the table and a roof over their families’ heads, though it doesn’t leave much for anything else.

In the Chicago area, a disproportionate number of women-led households are considered “housing-burdened,” with 30 percent to 50 percent of their income spent on housing, or “housing distressed,” with more than 50 percent of their income going to pay the rent or mortgage, according to the Eleanor Foundation-UIC report.

Three out of four women-led households in Chicago were housing-burdened in 2008, up from 60 percent in 2000, the report said. During the same period, the percentage of women-led housing-distressed households rose to 57 percent from 46 percent in 2000.

“These are women who are working, playing by the rules and still not making a lot of gains,” said Joe Antolin, executive director, of Heartland Human Care Services, which launched an initiative to help women improve their financial security.

The problem of modest wages and no clear path to upward mobility affects not just the women but also their children, who are considered at risk, Antolin said.

“At the end of the day, we have to think about the kids in these families. We need them to be well-enough educated so that they can lead self-sufficient lives,” he said.

Heartland works with employers to offer financial literacy classes to women at their workplaces, teaching them how to manage their finances. To encourage women in its programs to save some portion of their paycheck, Heartland double-matches the savings up to $400. About 90 employers offer Heartland’s program to workers.

“They see this as added value because it reduces turnover,” Antolin said. “Workers are less stressed and more productive.”

Read More »

Associated Press

 

December 10, 2010

The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.

 

From Associated Press:

Implementing a new jobs program, providing scholarships for low-income students and helping more people get assistance are among the steps to cutting Illinois’ “extreme poverty” rate in half by 2015, according to a state report released Thursday.

The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.

Some of the group’s recommendations are clear-cut enhancements of existing safety nets, such as simplifying the form and process for obtaining an Illinois Link card, which is how food stamps are issued. Others are more involved, like creating a transitional jobs program proposed to help 40,000 people a year.

“When someone is experiencing poverty, there’s no one thing that impacts them that is the silver bullet,” said Doug Schenkelberg, an associate director at the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights. “They’re dealing with poor education. They’re dealing with having bad housing. They’re dealing with few job options. We have to look holistically.”

Commission officials recommended their timeline be implemented in phases. But there’s no mandate it must be accomplished and the report provided no cost estimates.

About 760,000, or 6 percent, of Illinois’ approximately 12 million people are in what federal officials define as “extreme poverty.” State officials say a large percentage of those individuals are elderly, disabled, children or have criminal records.

Poverty means a family of four would survive on about $22,000 each year, but for a family of four in extreme poverty, the amount is only about $11,000.

Charles Jenkins, a 55-year-old Chicagoan, knows exactly how that feels.

In the early 1990s, Jenkins was homeless, addicted to drugs, had little education and few job prospects. But assistance programs helped him with recovery and finding a place to stay. He eventually stabilized enough to earn an associate’s degree at a community college and work with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

While he’s still hovering around the poverty level — relying on Section 8 Housing and other assistance — he feels he’s come out of the worst and is motivated to improve his situation.

“After a while things started to fall in place. I saved up money and could rent an apartment,” he said. “If you just have a job, it can help you get started, but you need to be able to advance to the next level.”

The commission reports makes several recommendations for the state, including:

–Develop a transitional jobs program that helps find employment for those who have been out of the work force and offers training, such as opportunities to improve literacy.

–Expand the number of low-income community college student scholarships, along with student support services like academic advising and mentoring.

–Help more people who qualify for federal and state assistance, like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), apply and get into the program. The commission recommends targeted outreach.

–Adopt state legislation prohibiting state job applications from asking if individuals have criminal backgrounds, making it easier for those who have served time to get jobs.

–Increase rental subsidies available to those in extreme poverty.

Read More »

Associated Press

 

December 10, 2010

The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.

 

From Associated Press:

Implementing a new jobs program, providing scholarships for low-income students and helping more people get assistance are among the steps to cutting Illinois’ “extreme poverty” rate in half by 2015, according to a state report released Thursday.

The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.

Some of the group’s recommendations are clear-cut enhancements of existing safety nets, such as simplifying the form and process for obtaining an Illinois Link card, which is how food stamps are issued. Others are more involved, like creating a transitional jobs program proposed to help 40,000 people a year.

“When someone is experiencing poverty, there’s no one thing that impacts them that is the silver bullet,” said Doug Schenkelberg, an associate director at the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights. “They’re dealing with poor education. They’re dealing with having bad housing. They’re dealing with few job options. We have to look holistically.”

Commission officials recommended their timeline be implemented in phases. But there’s no mandate it must be accomplished and the report provided no cost estimates.

About 760,000, or 6 percent, of Illinois’ approximately 12 million people are in what federal officials define as “extreme poverty.” State officials say a large percentage of those individuals are elderly, disabled, children or have criminal records.

Poverty means a family of four would survive on about $22,000 each year, but for a family of four in extreme poverty, the amount is only about $11,000.

Charles Jenkins, a 55-year-old Chicagoan, knows exactly how that feels.

In the early 1990s, Jenkins was homeless, addicted to drugs, had little education and few job prospects. But assistance programs helped him with recovery and finding a place to stay. He eventually stabilized enough to earn an associate’s degree at a community college and work with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

While he’s still hovering around the poverty level — relying on Section 8 Housing and other assistance — he feels he’s come out of the worst and is motivated to improve his situation.

“After a while things started to fall in place. I saved up money and could rent an apartment,” he said. “If you just have a job, it can help you get started, but you need to be able to advance to the next level.”

The commission reports makes several recommendations for the state, including:

–Develop a transitional jobs program that helps find employment for those who have been out of the work force and offers training, such as opportunities to improve literacy.

–Expand the number of low-income community college student scholarships, along with student support services like academic advising and mentoring.

–Help more people who qualify for federal and state assistance, like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), apply and get into the program. The commission recommends targeted outreach.

–Adopt state legislation prohibiting state job applications from asking if individuals have criminal backgrounds, making it easier for those who have served time to get jobs.

–Increase rental subsidies available to those in extreme poverty.

Read More »

Austin Talks

 

December 6, 2010

Christmas came early last week to the nearly 27,000 workers enrolled in the state’s Put Illinois to Work program, when Gov. Pat Quinn announced it will be extended through Jan. 15.

 

From Austin Talks:

Christmas came early last week to the nearly 27,000 workers enrolled in the state’s Put Illinois to Work program, when Gov. Pat Quinn announced it will be extended through Jan. 15.

The six-week extension will cost state taxpayers $47 million and be paid for by bonding a portion of the state’s share of the 1998 tobacco settlement, said Quinn Spokeswoman Kelly Jakubek.

“The reality is that the program is not designed to be permanent. It had an end and will certainly come to an end,” said Virgil Crawford, who works for the Westside Health Authority, which employs 25 workers through the program. “But no one wants to be seen as the Grinch who stole Christmas by taking jobs away from families around the holidays.”

Crawford, along with nearly 250 others, rallied last Monday night in front of the state building at 100 W. Randolph St. to demand an extension of the program through the holidays. At the rally, community members implored the govenor to look for ways to move people into permanent jobs in communities like Austin, which has an unemployment rate hovering at about 20 percent.

Since April, the Put Illinois to Work program has cost $200 million and placed nearly 20,000 workers in Cook County. Crawford said thousands of those jobs have been in Austin, though Quinn’s office couldn’t provide a breakdown of the number of jobs by neighborhood.

To qualify for the program, participants must have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($2,428 a month for a family of two) and must either be a parent of a minor or 18 to 21 years old.

Elce Redmond, community organizer for the South Austin Coalition, which employs four participants, says not only does the federal government need to step in, but it also should recognize the program’s rewards beyond putting people to work.

“These folks in the program are now consumers; they are making car payments, paying for utilities and going shopping in the community,” Redmond said. “Why hasn’t the federal government figured out that it helps the overall economy when people reinvest in the community they live in?”

Tracey Brady stood in the cold Monday night not knowing if she’d have a job beyond Nov. 30th.

In April, the Westside Health Authority hired her as an office assistant through the Put Illinois to Work program. The mother of two had been looking for a job for almost two years and was in the last week of getting unemployment benefits.

Last week, the Austin resident feared her days spent making flyers and phone calls in the community organizing department would come to an end after federal funding for the program expired. Then she got the good news.

“It’s a great feeling knowing 26,000 people will have a job over the holidays and not have to worry about the rent or where the next meal is coming from, ” Brady said. “It’s important for me to show my kids that this is what it’s all about: being a productive part of the community.”

Jill Geltmaker, project director for the Put Illinois to Work program at Heartland Human Care Services, which collaborated with the Illinois Department of Human Services on the program, said while it’s not possible for it to last forever, the skills participants learn are as valuable as their $10-an-hour wage.

“The program was designed to give workers a leg up by teaching new skills that would build their resumes and make it possible to get the jobs they never would have been considered for before the program,” Geltmaker said.

Read More »

Austin Talks

 

December 6, 2010

Christmas came early last week to the nearly 27,000 workers enrolled in the state’s Put Illinois to Work program, when Gov. Pat Quinn announced it will be extended through Jan. 15.

 

From Austin Talks:

Christmas came early last week to the nearly 27,000 workers enrolled in the state’s Put Illinois to Work program, when Gov. Pat Quinn announced it will be extended through Jan. 15.

The six-week extension will cost state taxpayers $47 million and be paid for by bonding a portion of the state’s share of the 1998 tobacco settlement, said Quinn Spokeswoman Kelly Jakubek.

“The reality is that the program is not designed to be permanent. It had an end and will certainly come to an end,” said Virgil Crawford, who works for the Westside Health Authority, which employs 25 workers through the program. “But no one wants to be seen as the Grinch who stole Christmas by taking jobs away from families around the holidays.”

Crawford, along with nearly 250 others, rallied last Monday night in front of the state building at 100 W. Randolph St. to demand an extension of the program through the holidays. At the rally, community members implored the govenor to look for ways to move people into permanent jobs in communities like Austin, which has an unemployment rate hovering at about 20 percent.

Since April, the Put Illinois to Work program has cost $200 million and placed nearly 20,000 workers in Cook County. Crawford said thousands of those jobs have been in Austin, though Quinn’s office couldn’t provide a breakdown of the number of jobs by neighborhood.

To qualify for the program, participants must have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($2,428 a month for a family of two) and must either be a parent of a minor or 18 to 21 years old.

Elce Redmond, community organizer for the South Austin Coalition, which employs four participants, says not only does the federal government need to step in, but it also should recognize the program’s rewards beyond putting people to work.

“These folks in the program are now consumers; they are making car payments, paying for utilities and going shopping in the community,” Redmond said. “Why hasn’t the federal government figured out that it helps the overall economy when people reinvest in the community they live in?”

Tracey Brady stood in the cold Monday night not knowing if she’d have a job beyond Nov. 30th.

In April, the Westside Health Authority hired her as an office assistant through the Put Illinois to Work program. The mother of two had been looking for a job for almost two years and was in the last week of getting unemployment benefits.

Last week, the Austin resident feared her days spent making flyers and phone calls in the community organizing department would come to an end after federal funding for the program expired. Then she got the good news.

“It’s a great feeling knowing 26,000 people will have a job over the holidays and not have to worry about the rent or where the next meal is coming from, ” Brady said. “It’s important for me to show my kids that this is what it’s all about: being a productive part of the community.”

Jill Geltmaker, project director for the Put Illinois to Work program at Heartland Human Care Services, which collaborated with the Illinois Department of Human Services on the program, said while it’s not possible for it to last forever, the skills participants learn are as valuable as their $10-an-hour wage.

“The program was designed to give workers a leg up by teaching new skills that would build their resumes and make it possible to get the jobs they never would have been considered for before the program,” Geltmaker said.

Read More »

CBS News

 

October 17, 2010

A client of the Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center describes her attempt to obtain asylum in the United States

 

From CBS News:

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, not every refugee in the world seeking asylum gets an automatic green light. Russ Mitchell reports on the story of one asylum seeker caught in legal limbo.

Read More »

CBS News

 

October 17, 2010

A client of the Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center describes her attempt to obtain asylum in the United States

 

From CBS News:

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, not every refugee in the world seeking asylum gets an automatic green light. Russ Mitchell reports on the story of one asylum seeker caught in legal limbo.

Read More »

The Art of Healing Life

 

October 8, 2010

 

 

From The Art of Healing Life:

Mental health experts have long recognized the benefits of integrating primary health care with mental health treatment. Tragically, the life expectancy for people with chronic mental illness is 25 years less than that of the general public.

Thanks to a partnership with Heartland International Health Center (HIHC), Mary Dudek is helping C4 consumers beat the odds and take control of their overall health. Every Wednesday afternoon, the soft-spoken physician’s assistant sees patients in a small nurse’s office at C4 Clark. 

Some come for routine exams, including women’s health, pelvic exams and pap smears.

Others come with physical complaints, such as fatigue, difficulty sleeping, joint pain.  A health professional with 13 years’ experience in family practice, Dudek says the Wednesday clinic is especially rewarding.

She recalls the recent experience of diagnosing a man in his 30s with diabetes.

“He complained of being tired all the time and always thirsty, classic signs of diabetes,” observes Dudek, who is controlling the man’s condition with diet.   It turned out the encounter with Dudek was life-changing:  with improved health, the Recovery Point consumer is now able to hold down a job for the first time in years.

 “When people have insurance, they have an inkling that something is wrong because they routinely see doctors,” explains Dudek.  “At C4 I am helping people who often have no idea that something is wrong.  It’s challenging, but very rewarding.”

People with mental illness may go for years without regular screenings such as mammograms or routine tests for cholesterol. Lack of insurance, little access to transportation, poverty and fear of doctor’s offices act as barriers to treatment for ailments like diabetes or heart disease, conditions easily treatable with regular care.

Most Wednesdays, Dudek is helped by  Spanish-speaking medical assistants who help with paperwork and other routine tasks.  Patients who need follow-up screening, such as laboratory work, x-rays, or EKGs are referred to Heartland’s nearby Lincoln Square clinic.  Mammograms are available at Weiss Hospital.  Dudek is also able to refer patients to health specialists.

“You can get everything here that is available at a family practice clinic,” says Dudek.

Besides affordable health care, (for clients without health insurance or Medicaid, office visits are $30), the Wednesday clinic makes it possible for C4 to offer a more holistic system of care.

“Integrating mental health treatment with primary health care is a major goal for us,” observes C4 Clark site director Susan Kogan.

The new on site clinic enables psychiatrists and therapists to consult directly with Dudek. “The bottom line is that this improves care for our consumers,” adds Kogan, who helped launch the clinic last January. C4 Clark therapist Audra Massey echoes Kogan’s enthusiasm.

Massey, who has referred at least eight consumers to the clinic since January, says the service has been a boon for clients fearful of seeing physicians. She credits Dudek’s sensitivity and gentle manner as key factors in earning consumer trust.

“My clients tell me they are treated respectfully and feel cared for,” Massey observes. “It’s a relief for them to have quality health care that is affordable.”

“Going to the clinic is an opportunity I wouldn’t have had anywhere else,” observes Shannon, a client of Massey’s who sought relief for some joint pain she was experiencing. “Mary (Dudek) has a kind heart and listens. She is very attentive to your needs.”

 

Read More »

Chicago Tribune

 

September 30, 2010

The median household income for Naperville residents has been steadily declining, according to data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Heartland Alliance Social Impact Research Center.

 

From Chicago Tribune:

The median household income for Naperville residents has been steadily declining for over a decade and dipped below $100,000 in 2009, according to data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Heartland Alliance Social Impact Research Center.

While the median household income in Naperville for 2009 was $98,488, which is still well above the state’s median household income of $59,975, it declined from its peak of $114,274 in 1999, according to the report.

The median household income in DuPage County was $77,033 in 2009. But since 2000, the DuPage median household income has declined by $10,690.

“Anytime someone experiences an income drop it can shake up their lives,” said Amy Terpstra, associate director at the Social Impact Research Center at the Heartland Alliance. “Sometimes people call them the working poor, those who have to make a choice of paying rent or putting food on the table.”

Terpstra blames a shift in the job market for the downward income trend in DuPage County and the Midwest region.

“A shift in the economy began long before the recession,” said Terpstra. “Many of the good-paying, manufacturing jobs are disappearing. Many people are now shifting into service industry jobs which pay less and offer fewer benefits. It’s this broader shift that has led to the erosion of income.”

Terpstra added that the cost of living is high in Naperville.

Charles McLimans, executive director of the Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry in Naperville, said the pantry started a program in 2008 that assists Naperville families with higher incomes.

“We had one family whose two family member income went down to one and only had enough money to pay the mortgage,” said McLimans. “Families with similar situations started coming to us. We didn’t want to turn people away.”

He said about 3 percent of the 1,600 people they serve are in the program.

The higher income food program is only open to Naperville residents.

Read More »