"It's case by case," says Singleton. "We offer a variety of programs to ensure that whatever people's situations are, they're going to be successful." He adds, though, that HRA intends to "work very closely with" Strive to refer clients; Rivera says after more recent discussions with the agency, he's now hopeful of a better working relationship with the city.
City Limits Magazine
Spring 2008:
Target of Opportunities
News Topics
The Economy
Justice
Author
Neil deMause
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Violet Smith, who had to stop working and turn to public assistance due to a high-risk pregnancy, is equally dismissive of the Back to Work program. "It may help some people who are used to working in a factory, or just want to work in a store," Smith said. But for someone with her work experience, it felt like a waste of time. "If you came dressed, then you could go out on what they call a job search. And that's where you go out and check out about 10:30, you have to report back in by 2:30, and you have to have at least three business cards of places that you went to, and a card about employment."
After a few months of fruitlessly collecting business cards, says Smith, "I just couldn't deal with it" and left, ultimately finding Strive after being handed a flyer on the street while on a break. "There were many women there who were frustrated like I was, that needed jobs that maybe were in office work, things like that, which they didn't carry. I feel like they want to make sure you're accountable for the money that they give you, but they're not willing to help you get off of public assistance so you don't have to take their money."
Told of these criticisms, HRA deputy commissioner Seth Diamond is skeptical. "Those contracts are only paid when people get jobs, so they don't have any incentive to do what you're describing," says Diamond, referring to the contractors providing Back to Work programming. "So I find it hard to believe that they would not be providing services that are aggressively trying to move people into the market."
Back to Work can't be directly compared to programs like Strive, he adds, because the city's programs serve much larger numbers of people, and take all comers: "Strive is a bit of a boutique compared to some of those programs. So you may have a slightly different environment because people want to be there."
For Strive student LaToya Clark, all she knows is that she walked in looking for a class that would help her develop the computer skills to open her own store, and ended up with "a life-altering experience." In Back to Work, she says, "It was just a constant reminder: 'You're messed up, you're messed up, you're messed up.' Here the reminder is: 'You're going somewhere, you're going somewhere.'"
