Housing Groups Promote Job Skills

The Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County recently held a quarterly breakfast meeting to discuss the importance of linking housing and job skills. Presentations were made by Building Changes, the Workforce Development Council, and Housing Hope.

One point stressed by the speakers is that it is often not enough to help the homeless find housing. To keep them from becoming homeless again they need to find jobs that will allow them to afford housing.

"The speakers made the point that the minimum wage is less than $10 an hour, but the average wage needed to afford rental housing in Snohomish County is $20 an hour," said Councilmember Dave Gossett who attended the breakfast. "It's not enough to just help the unemployed homeless find any job. Ultimately they need a job with a future."

Mark Putnam of Building Changes pointed out that in many cases a homeless person is working with two different agencies-one for housing and one for employment assistance. Too often the agencies do not know what each other is doing. He described Building Changes' program where each case manager has expertise in both the housing and employment sectors so both efforts are fully coordinated.

Many of the same concepts were echoed by Mary Jane Brell Vujovic from the Workforce Development Council. One of the initiatives the Workforce Development Council is championing is to provide direct connections between the state's database of available jobs and libraries and social service agencies to serve as satellite employment offices. The goal is to not require people to go to the central employment office to look for a job.

"Speakers also pointed out that a job is not just money to pay the bills but gives people a new sense of pride and self worth," said Gossett. "It is important to help the homeless find housing but these programs recognize the need for long term skills to avoid future homelessness."

Housing Hope's Ed Petersen described innovative ways his agency is achieving integration of housing and job services. In Youth Build, a program which the Workforce Development Council is also involved in, young adults in the housing program work with Housing Hope in the actual construction of homes. They receive construction credits from Edmonds Community College on their way to permanent construction jobs. Ground Works is a landscaping firm whose employees are housing recipients. Coast Real Estate has contracted with them to provide services on the 18 Housing Hope properties Coast Real Estate manages. Contracting for other landscaping services is anticipated. Other programs offered by Housing Hope include CATCH (Creating Access to Careers in Healthcare), Ten Degrees, and Property Works.

"Nine of the 13 interns in the first Property Works class had job offers before they finished the program," said Gossett. "In the Housing Hope programs participants get real job skills, receive credit or certification useful in the private sector, and earn a wage."

The breakfast concluded by honoring June Robinson, the long time director of the Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County. Consortium members presented her with a plaque and flowers for her service.

"June has done a great job for our citizens," said Gossett. "Snohomish County has agencies thinking very creatively about how to integrate job services with housing and making services more available in the community. I was very impressed with the way many different agencies are coordinating together."

Direct Flights Between UAE and Seattle Stimulate Economy

Emirates, a rapidly growing Middle Eastern airline based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began daily nonstop flights between Dubai and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 1. Flights will leave Dubai daily at 9:50 a.m. local time and arrive at Sea-Tac at 1:10 p.m. Pacific Time. From Seattle, flights will leave at 5:10 p.m., arriving in Dubai at 7:40 p.m. Flight length will average about 15 hours.

"Emirates will use Boeing 777s for its Seattle flights. It is the largest operator of 777s in the world," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "Emirates has been responsible for Boeing jobs in Snohomish County. Now it's decision to provide Seattle service generates a host of economic benefits, from increasing imports and exports to creating new markets for business and tourism."

In 2009 Gossett joined local business and community leaders on a trade mission to the UAE. The trip was meant to reinforce existing commercial ties and cultivate new relationships with local companies that are seeking to do business in the UAE. The delegation was led by the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

"During that trip efforts were made to convince Emirates to begin direct service to Seattle," said Gossett. "In Washington state trade means jobs, so building relationships like this is very important. The UAE is a key trade partner for our region."

Washington exported more than $3.5 billion in goods to the UAE in 2008, more than any other state. Some of Puget Sound's largest companies, such as Boeing and Microsoft, have vital business interests in the UAE.

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a reception March 2^nd to celebrate the inauguration of direct flights by Emirates. Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, U.A.E. Minister of Foreign Trade, spoke about the economic significance of the new Emirates Airlines flights to the Seattle and the broader U.S.-U.A.E. trade relationship. She was accompanied by a delegation of senior U.A.E. government officials.

"Emirates recently ordered an additional 50 Boeing 777-300ERs plus options for 20 more," said Gossett. "With a total list price of $26 billion that is over 100,000 skilled American jobs."