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Dear Partners and Supporters,
MassHire Metro North Workforce Board is celebrating the one-year anniversary of our Work to THRIVE initiative! Why are we doing this work, what have we accomplished, where are we going? Read on to learn more. And thank you for your interest and support!!
In partnership,
Chris Albrizio-Lee, President and CEO
Melora Rush, Communications Manager
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Work to THRIVE is MassHire Metro North Workforce Board's initiative to address the gap between publicly funded workforce development programs and those communities and individuals most in need and disconnected from needed services.
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Work to THRIVE has two main focus areas: the Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund and Bridging the Digital Divide.
In developing these initiatives, our research, and research shared by our focus cities (Chelsea, Everett, Malden and Revere) and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), demonstrated that there was a chasm between those that had access to computers and reliable internet services and those who did not. The Covid-19 Pandemic then threw a spotlight on these gaps, and we decided to make Bridging the Digital Divide an early focus of our work. Without digital access and literacy, it is very hard to THRIVE in a changing economy. |
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Later, talking to our community partners and the municipalities we focus on, we came to realize that wrap around services to meet basic housing, childcare, transportation and other needs were a huge limiting factor to successful outcomes in training programs, job search supports, and job retention. With funding from CVS Health, the Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund was born.
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As you look at the details presented below, here are the
overall takeaways that we would like to leave you with:
- We reached the populations we were seeking to serve. Strong partnerships were key and digital access was a much needed support for our communities!
- In speaking with our partners, the wrap-around-services being funded through our Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund are a key to job training / job search success.
- Raising over $95,000 in our first year was a major accomplishment!
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We asked all of our digital literacy partners to collect specific data on recipients of our grant funded Chromebooks and Mobile (Internet) Hotspots and some of our findings are below. We worked with the following ESOL/Adult Basic Education programs: Cambridge Community Learning Center, The Immigrant Learning Center (Malden) and Chelsea Community Schools. Their students were the beneficiaries!
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90 individuals were recipients of Chromebooks and/or Mobile Hotspots with one year of internet service.
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Who are our Bridging the Digital Divide participants to date?
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- 83% identify as black or latino/a
- 73% identify as female
- 76% have annual incomes under $35K
- 76% primarily speak languages other than English
- 65% have a high school diploma (or less)
- 55% are unemployed or work less than 20 hrs/weeh
- Primarily residents of Cambridge, Chelsea and Malden
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OUTCOMES from Digital Literacy support for Students at the Cambridge Community Learning Center!
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(24 of 27 recipients responded to our 6 month follow up survey.)
To access online classes 24
To find new or better job 11
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--To find new/better housing (5)
--To stay in touch with family/friends (5)
--Telehealth (5)
--Organize finances (5)
--To do research/look things up (4)
--Watch YouTube English Classes (2)
--To do my job online (1)
--For EVERYTHING! (1)
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POST-PROGRAM EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES:
- Home Health Aide
- Security Officer
- Post Office Delivery
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- Hotel Housekeeping
- Bus Monitor
- Kitchen Bakery
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Some facts about the Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund:
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Established with generous $50,000 donation from CVS Health.
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Work to THRIVE’s first foray into funding more comprehensive services.
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Provides up to $1,000 per individual to assist with wrap-around job training supports such as childcare, transportation, digital access (computers, hot spots, etc.), school supplies, boots, tools, eviction support/housing and driver’s licenses.
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Partnering with The Neighborhood Developers/CONNECT to distribute these funds.
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To date, the Fund has supported 9 clients of TND/CONNECT pursuing job training in the cities of Chelsea, Everett and Revere. Job training for these clients was supported with tuition support, rent/eviction support, funding for childcare, as well as books, supplies and chromebooks.
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Who are our Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund participants to date?
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- 83% identify as black or mixed race
- 67% identify as Hispanic or latino/a
- 78% identify as female
- 67% have household annual incomes under $35K
- 78% primarily speak languages other than English
- 44% have a high school diploma (or less)
- 56% are unemployed or work less than 20 hrs/wk
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Ernesto Josue Díaz—A Journey from El Salvador
Read a moving story about Ernesto who recently benefited from a housing assistance grant from the Metro North Workforce Development Fund! Ernesto's story shows the impact, not only of Work to THRIVE which helped him get through a temporary financial crisis, but also the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board's PACMAN program and the support of CONNECT!
Thank you to the storytelling volunteer at CONNECT, Scott Ruescher, for sharing Ernesto's journey!
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KM' Story
KM (who asked that we not use her full name) is a mother of two school-aged children whose husband died just before the pandemic.
When the Covid-19 crisis hit, KM accessed unemployment supports which afforded her some time to re-think how she could best prepare for a job that is sustainable in the future. She accessed one-on-one financial coaching at CONNECT, signed up for the Self Sufficiency Program with the Everett Housing Authority and used Work to Thrive’s Metro North Resiliency Fund’s funding to enroll in a nursing refresher class. She is in the process of finishing the training modules and credits the financial assistance she received with “giving me hope and an incentive to invest in myself for the betterment of my family.” Very grateful for the support, she has a more optimistic attitude now and said the following to her financial coach: “It shall be well with me! Thank you for everything!”
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We raised $95,500 in our First Year!
We have been very fortunate with our funding in our first year. Grant makers believed in our digital equity work! As part of its equity efforts, CVS Health believed in our mission, and entrusted us with a $50,000 unrestricted donation which was used to create the Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund. And one of our Board members believed in our work and showed it with our first individual donation!
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We are grateful to our generous Funders and Donors:
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For those of us interested in Workforce Development and a practical means for companies to support immigrants and refugees, one of the most interesting initiatives that we have come across is the TENT Partnership for Refugees!
“We encourage companies to think beyond traditional philanthropy. We work with businesses to include refugees by engaging them as potential employees, entrepreneurs, and consumers. When companies take this approach, they are not only helping refugees, they also see considerable business benefits.”
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Work to THRIVE is new, but growing!!
We hope that our newsletter has inspired you!
Check out our website at https://WorktoThrive.org.
And if so moved, we would be grateful for your support:
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