Workplace program takes on ‘99ers’

As Congress debates whether to free up funding for added jobless benefits for those who have burned through theirs, a Bridgeport workforce investment board is funding its own dedicated staffer to reinvigorate those people”™s job searches ”“ and will soon be hitting up companies for additional support.

The Workplace Inc. recently assigned Ann Wright to a full-time job of helping “99ers” find full-time jobs themselves. The term is a reference to the federal government”™s current limit of 99 weeks of unemployment benefits for jobseekers.

Wright previously worked for the Stamford-based Business Council of Fairfield County and the Yale School of Management.

In early March, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro signed on as Connecticut”™s lone cosponsor of a House of Representatives bill to further extend unemployment benefits by an additional 14 weeks. Entering April, the bill was under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee.

A full month earlier, about 8,250 people in Fairfield County had exhausted their unemployment benefits, of 40,800 people in Connecticut and some 2 million nationally.

That number could nearly double locally by the end of this year, according to Joe Carbone, CEO of The Workplace.

Many workers who have gone jobless that long often have essentially thrown in the towel, he added, and he hopes a new approach will breathe new life into their search ”“ and perhaps provide a model for workforce investment boards nationally to follow.

“The workforce system that we are part of really does not have a textbook plan for this situation,” Carbone said. “This is entirely untested waters.”

While the Connecticut Department of Labor offers a listing of services for those who have lost their unemployment benefits, as of late March DOL did not provide a “one-stop shop” in the manner being tried by The Workplace.

Carbone and his staff have already won wider notice for one program crafted to meet the challenges of the Great Recession ”“ the Mortgage Crisis Job Training Program, which provides expedited job training and placement services for households in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Carbone estimated that the program has provided advice to about 750 households, and that 90 percent of them have managed to hang onto their homes ”“ in part due to lenders”™ realization that the homeowner is making every effort to right his or her financial ship.

Carbone said a misconception may exist that those who have exhausted their 99 weeks of benefits are people who would be marginally employable based on their skills or other attributes. He has been speaking to business groups since last fall on the issue, and says he is getting a good response.

“I have had people who are hedge fund operators. I have had schoolteachers. I have had people who work in health care centers ”¦ They are a microcosm of our region,” Carbone said. “I am so confident and so optimistic that we have made a very, very compelling argument to businesses that we need their help on this. And I have had many calls from businesses that have offered to help.”

The unemployment rate in both Fairfield County and Connecticut remained stuck at 9 percent in February. There were signs of encouragement, however ”“ growth in the professional services sector continued as Connecticut employers added 3,100 jobs in the catchall category that includes everything from waste haulers to consultants. Some of that growth included employment at temp agencies, which economists see as a sign of future growth as companies bring in extra help to cope with increased sales.

Carbone hopes that those looking for an extra hand or two will check in with him.

“There”™s got to be an element of good corporate citizenry,” Carbone said. “There will be little to no risk for businesses that give that person a chance.”