Creating jobs for exoffenders, at risk youth and the working poor to fight inner city violence

Two Illinois state representatives recently suggested bringing the National Guard into Chicago to address violence. As an alternative to this bad idea, I recommend forming a coalition of regional business leaders; community and faith-based leaders; training providers and elected officials to create jobs and training programs for exoffenders, at-risk youth, and working poor. There is research done in Chicago and elsewhere that shows jobs, training and supportive services for young men perpetuating most of the violence, works. I'm not for the usual rhetoric, spread a little funding and news conference approach. My goal would be to identify real business opportunities that will create entrepreneurs and funding that leads to real opportunities and alternatives for those who are creating much of the violence, in the misguided understanding that gangs and drugs are the only way they can make enough to support their families and the lifestyle they want. Some examples of the types of opportunities I am suggesting, include:

1. Creating jobs and businesses around critical regional skills shortages and middle skill jobs- Due to a regional shortage of middle-skill workers, there is a regional surplus of middle-skills jobs and employers are hiring people from outside the region or moving to other regions. Middle skills jobs are jobs that require more than a high school education and less than college. These jobs are in every industry and many job categories and include nurses, auto repair technicians, construction workers, chefs, etc. According to the Urban Institute, "Contrary to recent assertions that demand for middle-skill jobs will shrink dramatically (creating an "hourglass" or "dumbbell" labor market), we find that demand for such jobs will remain quite robust. The growth in supply of workers with these skills will also likely shrink as baby boomers retire and are replaced by immigrants. Thus, education and training programs that help less-educated workers gain these skills remain a worthwhile investment. (http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411633) These include 3,655 installation, maintenance and repair job openings in the Chicago region according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Recently, I worked with Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, the City of Chicago, City Colleges and a faith-based organization to train at-risk youth, exoffenders and working poor to address a regional shortage of 700 auto technicians. This 10 year-old program worked great until the recession dried up funding from the employers and government agencies. Employers stopped being willing to hire people with certified skills but who also had a criminal background. This has created a new entrepreneurial opportunity for people like me and groups like the faith-based organization, I consulted with. Rather than trying to get employers direct hire we could set up social enterprises to contract with employers and go after other business opportunities. One example is inner city residents, the area where the violence is centered, spend over $270 million annually for auto repairs. Residents take over $100 million outside these communities. If we captured 10% of the inner city auto repair market ($27 million) we could create 270-300 good jobs. Additional jobs would be created by subcontracting with other companies; and by placements with these companies as our workers gain experience and the employers become more comfortable with hiring exoffenders and inner city workers. There are similar entrepreneurial opportunities in our key regional industries health care, manufacturing, distribution, even finance. JP Morgan Chase set up a check clearing business in Milwaukee, that is located in the inner city.
2. Create jobs around new opportunities and industries: I've talked to Stephen Wilkins and Charles Davis, in CPS' Sports Department about creating a Coaches University to take advantage of the push to reduce obesity which is driving demand for coaches, physical trainers, etc. They told me CPS can't find enough coaches. Another opportunity I am looking at is African-American and Latino youth's use of mobile devices and texting, more than any other demographic. Somebody has to sell, support and create advertising for this new digital media which is exploding. Oprah just announced she is expanding her work, in this area; Barack Obama, was named the 2008 Mobile Marketer of the Year because of how his campaign effectively used this medium; Groupon.com a local startup was recently valued at being worth over $1 billion. Inner city youth need to be exposed and encouraged to create positive opportunities like these.
3. Working with the franchisers and others, interested in creating new markets and owners: I've worked with the CDOne Cleaners and  Meineke Car Car franchises, the International Franchise Association, and a venture capital firm on this idea, until the recession diverted everyone's attention. 

Any contributions, comments, thoughts or insights you have would be appreciated. . At the bottom of this post are some of my comments on a vigorous Facebook debate about the suggestion to bring in the National Guard.

Brian 

Brian Banks
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BAC Partners (BACP) is a consultancy that provides research-based strategy, grants writing and development, and technical assistance to community-based and faith-based organizations interested in education, economic development and jobs creation. BACP helps these organizations develop collaborative partnerships with universities, government, business and philanthropic organizations. 

AdvaTEXT.com helps businesses and other clients generate more business and save money by using mobile marketing. Clients include Blockbuster, Pizza Hut and Jackson Hewitt; and our partners include iLoop Mobile who developed 2008 Obama Campaign's mobile website. We help customers achieve their goals by working with the smartest tools and smartest people. 

Creating jobs for exoffenders, at-risk youth and the working poor  I understand the frustration with the senseless violence but I disagree with bringing people not trained in law enforcement, like the National Guard, and think this solution, is akin to Arizona's response to immigration problem. The headcount of Chicago Police needs to be increased; more efforts to create educate and jobs for young men need to be undertaken with the federal government's assistance. Funding needs to be taken from other areas like two wars, big banks and the politically powerful who have been sucking up increasing share of resources, without any pretense of equity or giving back. At its' heart I think the violence problem is a continued lack of opportunity for young men who have no skills and no opportunities to earn enough to support their families. Over the past few years I worked with exoffenders who were one time responsible for much of the violence. I found providing them education and hope, along with their own decision to change and not return to prison changed their behavior. What was missing was community-wide commitment to help these men and women by providing them additional support and the ability to guarantee them jobs, during a punishing recession. Now that the economy is recovering I think there some opportunities to create jobs and businesses to employ those trying to go a different way from the violence which is destroying many families and a great city.

State reps want to fight violence with National Guard's help - Chicago Breaking News

www.chicagobreakingnews.com

Two state representatives called on Gov. Pat Quinn to deploy the Illinois National Guard on Chicago's streets to combat violence.

Yesterday at 4:51pm

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Creating jobs for exoffenders, at-risk youth and the working poor 

Next steps should include: 1. Illinois Legislature appropriating funding for legislation passed last year by Rep. Ford that would provide business training and loans for exoffenders who want to start a business. 2. Increasing appropriation for Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) program at DCEO that pairs effective job training providers with employers to develop training for good jobs, around the state. Many of the programs funded are effectively helping at-risk youth, exoffenders and working poor who were/are most likely to be engaged in the violence. 3. Fund research and partnerships that create new inner city entrepreneurial and work opportunities. For example there is a shortage of skilled technicians in many of the state's economic regions, including Chicago. Fund innovative partnerships between auto repair shops who need auto repair technicians, training providers like the City Colleges and faith-based organizations like Chicagoland Youth and Adult Training Centers, and entrepreneurs like myself who are interested in creating jobs and being more innovative. Chicago's technology community is leading the way in innovation and entrepreneurship and the young people creating all the havoc in the streets, to get their piece of the American dream pie, should be shown an alternative to how they can make money, that is a lot more rewarding and less risky, for us all. In my field, local businesses like Groupon.com was recently valued at more than $1 billion; Oprah, one of the world's wealthiest entrepreneurs just expanded her mobile platform; Obama was named 2008 Mobile Marketer of the Year; and the Chicago Tribune published a story yesterday about how locals are using mobile to create new startup businesses. We should be exposing young people in the inner city to these and other opportunities as an alternative to gangs and drug dealing that is behind most of the crazy violence.

5 hours ago · 

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