Earlier this week we learned that the unemployment rate continued to climb in December, breaking records in Washington, DC for the number of jobless residents.  (DC had a 12.1 percent unemployment rate last month, the highest it’s been since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking unemployment numbers in 1976.)  While those numbers show our region is behind the national average (10 percent), there is one group that’s faring even worse.  The teen unemployment rate climbed to about 28 percent last fall, making young workers one of the hardest hit groups in the country.  And for minority teens from low-income families, the likelihood of finding a job is even lower.

The Facts

According to this Time.com article, “the job market is tough for everyone.  But this recession has become a jobs disaster for 16-to-19-year-olds.”  The article takes a look at teen unemployment and the impact it will have on our economy now, and in the future.  Here’s a look at some of the facts:

*  Washington, DC has the worst teen unemployment in the country – 53 percent.

*  17 out of every 100 high school students have jobs.  9 out of 100 African-American high school students have jobs.  Four out of 100 African-American students from low-income families have jobs.

*  Because of the tanking economy, older employees are working longer and settling for jobs that used to be held primarily by teens.

*  A store manager at a Best Buy in DC said he’s more likely to hire one of the older, experienced, former office workers who apply for jobs at his store than a teenager.

While it would be best for our economy for everyone who wants a job to have one, the impact of teen unemployment goes beyond immediate dollars and cents.  According to the article, students that have jobs are less likely to become teen parents, and experts say growing teen unemployment “could lead to an American workforce that lacks the skills to compete with the rest of the world.”  Teens with jobs also tend to earn more later in life.

Solving the Problem

Job training programs are now being used to tackle teen unemployment.  Jubilee Jobs – a Washington Area Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner that was mentioned in the Time article – is seeing record high numbers of teenagers coming to them for job placement help.  However, of the 42 students they trained last year, 11 were able to find jobs.

Meanwhile, organizations like the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship work with students on self-sufficiency.  NFTE – Greater Washington helps 11-to-20-year-olds identify needs in their communities and turn those needs into opportunities for entrepreneurship.  “In a time of economic turmoil and unemployment it is crucial that we prepare kids to make it in the market economy with an entrepreneurial mindset and key financial literacy skills,” says Julie Silard Kantor, Executive Director of NFTE – Greater Washington and National Vice President, Government Affairs.

It’s been reported that President Obama will focus on jobs in his State of the Union address tonight.  Given the current state of the country, it’s unlikely that jobs for teenagers will be featured in his speech, but it can remain on our priority lists.  Eventually, the economy will recover.  When it does, all of us should be ready.

Photo credit: teenmoneymakingideas.com

Now that we know the facts, what are we going to do?

From all reports, our current recession was supposed to be friendlier to women than men – who can forget “the man-cession”? Many of the job losses have been in fields (such as manufacturing and construction) that disproportionately employ men, while other woman-dominated occupations (such as education and healthcare) have continued to add jobs.

The latest news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, is not so great for women. Single women with children saw their unemployment rate rise to 13 percent in December 2009 – the highest it has been in more than 25 years, according the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation (click here for more details).  In fact, this rate has increased pretty steadily – up from 11.4 percent a month earlier and 9.5 percent a year ago. Number-wise, this translates into 310,000 more families in need.

What should we do with this information? Can we please start paying attention to the implications of these data in our public benefits, workforce development and work support policies? Please?

Graph credit: Institute for Women’s Policy Research

9 Things We Can Do to Ensure Economic Justice for Women

What we are told about recessions is weird.

For most of 2007, Bush Administration officials said we were not in a recession, although the rest of us, especially those who had been struggling even when the economy was on firmer footing, knew we were. Now, at the end of 2009 and continuing into 2010, Obama Administration economic advisers tell us the recession is over, although many of us would disagree, based on our own personal situation and experience.

Here in our region, we often hear that we are doing better than most other parts of the country. While that is true overall, unemployment here is still higher than it has been for some time, meaning more people are out of work. In addition, some local jurisdictions are doing worse than others. Unemployment in Ward 8 in the District, for example, was nearly 30 percent in September 2009 (click here for statistics).

My new year’s wish is for economic justice, particularly for low-income women raising children alone (it’s not that we don’t care about you men, but this is The Women’s Foundation, after all). Regardless of whether the economy is weak or strong, my wish list includes:

–  More emphasis on and support for subsidized jobs in both the public and private sectors, at least until the economy recovers enough to create more jobs on its own. Public service employment would be one example. Another example, on the private side, is a transitional job program, evaluations of which have shown it to result in increased employment and earnings (click here to read the job program evaluations).

–  Increased investment in skills training linked with growing sectors of our regional economy, such as health care. Training should be holistic and include a focus on literacy, soft skills training, career and technical skills training and wrap-around services (such as child care) that help women complete training and successfully transition to the paid workforce.

–  Increased investment in job retention services, including critical work supports like child care and transportation that help keep people, particularly low-income women, in the jobs they already have.

–  More attention to asset building. Assets are a first line of defense against job loss and economic disaster for many families, particularly low-income families.

–  Additional housing assistance, including mortgage relief and rental assistance. Our region’s foreclosure rates are slightly higher than the national average (click here for details) and particularly high in Prince George’s County and among minority homeowners.  Foreclosures are also not only in the subprime market anymore, and they are trickling down and affecting renters, translating into greater displacement and homelessness.

–  A strengthened safety net for those who do not or cannot benefit immediately from all of the above. Something is terribly wrong with our welfare system when caseloads go down as poverty goes up, as has happened in DC (click here for details).

–  Increased federal financial support for state and local governments. This will help soften the foreseeable cuts in public services and employment that accompany another year of budget shortfalls in DC and Maryland and Virginia counties in our region. Now is just not the time for cuts in critical housing, social welfare, public health and workforce development services and personnel.

Finally, I would also challenge local and national reporters to produce more nuanced stories about the economic situation and, specifically, economic inequality in our region. Now *that* could be really informative.

What’s on your list?

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.  Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• In an op-ed for the Seattle Times, columnist Danny Westneat argues that the persistent IRS audit of a low-income single mom in Seattle is an example of how the tax agency frequently targets the poor.

• As reported in the Chicago Tribune, local programs are working to help low-income mothers overcome the cycle of violence and abusive behavior often found in low-income families.

• A grandmother raising her grandson in a low-income housing unit tells the Boston Globe that she can’t afford to give him presents this Christmas.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.” It’s a new section of the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.
Along with these daily updates, continue to visit Washington Area Women’s Foundation for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

Unemployment has been a particularly relevant topic in this time of economic downturn, and it garnered even more attention last week when the Department of Labor released its latest numbers that showed unemployment hit 10.2 percent in October.

It’s true that unemployment is a major concern that will affect thousands of residents in the District and even more across the nation.  But while media and individuals worry about joblessness, an important story is going unheard.  It is the story of a DC woman who works hard to provide for her kids.  Forty hours a week, 50 weeks a year she comes into her office and works diligently.  Unlike so many who are unemployed, she has a steady, full-time, year-round job.  And yet, she and her children still live in poverty.

The DC Women’s Agenda’s latest report uses census numbers from the 2008 American Community Survey to demonstrate how women in DC still face economic disparity.  Perhaps the most shocking finding of all in this report is that just over six percent of single woman-headed households where the woman has a full-time, year-round job still live in poverty.  Furthermore, one in five women-headed households where the woman works (either part-time or full time) live in poverty as well.

The report details many other areas where women fall behind in economic equality.  The median income of a man working full time in DC is 17 percent higher than that of a woman full time ($43,391 versus $36,987).  At each level of educational attainment from graduate degrees to high school, men earn more money than women.  Compare median earnings of $65,432 for a man with a bachelor’s degree versus median earnings of $50,995 for a woman who also holds a bachelor’s degree.  I hope these findings will inspire our leaders to take action on the economic situation of women in the District.

Of course it is important to be concerned about unemployment.  We all want to work in an economy where men and women can find steady, fairly-compensated work to provide for themselves and their families.  But we need an economy that works for everyone – where women don’t face gender-based discrimination.  We need an economy where the mother who works year-round at her full-time job doesn’t struggle with the bills every month because although she is employed, she lives below the poverty line.

We need employment for everyone that truly means economic security.

To view the full report, visit www.wowonline.org.

Debbie Billet-Roumell is coordinator of the D.C. Women’s Agenda.  You can contact her for more information at DBRoumell@wowonline.com.

Days after the District made the shocking announcement that $20 million had been cut from the homeless services budget for the 2010 fiscal year, advocates and organizations that provide shelter for the homeless are still reeling. One of The Women’s Foundation grantee partners is reaching out for help – as winter approaches and the organizations that assist the homeless face a crisis.

Calvary Women’s Services was notified Monday, September 28, by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) that contract funding for Calvary would be cut by nearly $75,000 beginning October 1st.  These funds support safe housing and other services for 150 homeless women each year.  TCP is an independent, non-profit corporation that coordinates DC’s Continuum of Care homeless services.

Calvary is one of many social service providers notified of cuts to their existing contracts. Emergency, transitional and supported permanent housing programs were all targeted as the city attempted to close an ever-widening budget gap.  The impact of these cuts on the overall homeless services system is going to be severe, with some housing programs reducing their services and others likely closing programs. 

Although these cuts may provide some immediate relief to the city’s budget problems, the real impact of the cuts will be felt by those in need of safe housing and support services.  Women who have already lost their jobs in this economic crisis will have fewer services and housing options available to them. These cuts will make women who are already at-risk much more likely to end up living on the streets or in unsafe situations.

The women who come to programs like Calvary are survivors of violence, women struggling with mental illness, and women working to overcome addictions.  At Calvary we make sure they have access to all of the services they need to address these challenges – in addition to providing a safe place to live.

We know that programs like ours work.  Every five days a woman moves out of Calvary and into her own home.

We have always relied on the support of both public funding and private donations to make our programs possible.  In the past, supporters have helped us close gaps like this one, and I am hopeful that the community will step up once again.  But I am also concerned that this gap may be too wide for our generous donors to close.

The coming months will be challenging ones for organizations like Calvary, as we try to find ways to continue to provide women in this community with critical, life changing services.  More so, they will be challenging months for women who need services like ours, as they face closed doors and reduced services at programs across the city.

 You can make a difference.  Support Calvary – or another agency facing these cuts – today. 

 Volunteer, donate or learn more at www.calvaryservices.org.

Kris Thompson is the Executive Director of Calvary Women’s Services, recognized as a 2009 Leadership Awardee by The Women’s Foundation.  Learn more about them on their Web site or on Facebook.

A report released by CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development) today provides more evidence that the economic security and mobility of a growing number of District residents is suffering in the absence of policies that help them to build and protect assets.

Having a college degree, a home, and savings for retirement and other long-term goals are the building blocks of financial security for all Americans.

That’s why CAAB is joining CFED and 14 states in a policy initiative aimed at expanding wealth-building opportunities for those at the lower end of the income scale.

The Assets & Opportunity Campaign has two goals:

1) Making the case for policies that encourage our most financially vulnerable residents to prioritize saving and investment in assets.

2) Building a strong and diverse network of allies that view these policy proposals as essential to strengthening our local economy and
communities.

This press release provides more information on the state of asset ownership in the District of Columbia and opportunities to expand
savings and ownership and close the racial wealth gap that divides our prosperous city.

For more information on the Assets and Opportunities Scorecard or Campaign, visit scorecard.cfed.org.

Colleen Dailey is Executive Director of Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Today is Car Free Day, an international event celebrated every September 22nd that encourages people to leave their car at home.  Our region signed on last year and is participating again this year.

Car Free Day is intended to highlight transit, bicycling, walking and all alternative modes of transportation and take cars off the road so people can think about what their region, city or neighborhood might be like with fewer cars.

I want to propose a different type of car day: Cars for People Who Need Them but Can’t Afford to Buy, Insure or Maintain Them Day.

I know, I know – it’s not as catchy.

It’s not that I’m opposed to Car Free Day. 

I celebrate it nearly every day because I don’t own a car.  I am a big fan of public transportation (I commute by bus) and walking.  But I live and work in parts of town with rich public transportation options.

The frustrating truth is that many low-income residents in our region – especially low-income, women-headed families East of the River and in Prince George’s County – actually need more access to private transportation to be able to work and take care of their families.

According to Census data, nearly half (48%) of all non-elderly poor in the District lived in households without a car.  They participate in Car Free Day every day but not all willingly.

Car ownership programs for low-income families and individuals have demonstrated their effectiveness by producing significant income and asset gains for participants. Programs in our region, like Vehicles for Change, and national programs like Ways to Work and its local partners Northern Virginia Family Service (a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation) and Family Matters of Greater Washington need and deserve support.

I hope we can all agree that our region’s transportation challenges call for multifaceted solutions beyond just “more people should take public transportation.”

Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at The Women’s Foundation.

The DC Women’s Agenda has completed an analysis of the funding levels of particular programs in the FY 2010 DC budget and their impact on women in D.C.

The report concludes, "Women in DC are in trouble. They disproportionately live in poverty and struggle to live within their incomes without adequate public supports. This analysis demonstrates that important social programs and offices – the Local Rent Supplement Program, Childcare and Education programs, TANF, Domestic Violence programs, and the OWPI – do not receive sufficient funds to support women in DC."

View the full report.

Debbie Billet-Roumell is the coordinator of the DC Women’s Agenda, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that is a coalition of advocacy organizations, service providers, and individuals working to promote the advancement of equality, safety and well-being for women and girls in the District.  It is chaired by the DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women.  For more information, please contact Debbie Billet-Roumell, Coordinator, DC Women’s Agenda at DBRoumell@wowonline.org or 202-464-1596.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.” It’s a new section of our site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.

Along with these daily updates, continue to visit TheWomensFoundation.org for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

Here’s this week’s news:

• The Chicago Tribune relates the story of Stacey Wolf, who met math standards needed to pursue a nursing career at community college, a rarity among low-income women.

• In an opinion article published in the Huffington Post, the President of Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Phyllis Caldwell, states that recent Census numbers indicating a rise in poverty failed to communicate that women and girls make up the majority of America’s impoverished.

• The Chicago Tribune reports the findings of a study in which Duke University researchers found that low-income mothers are more likely to abuse their children.

• Despite being sixty-one and homeless, Terri Mace is determined to earn her GED by taking classes in a local shelter, as told in the Des Moines Register.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.