City & County of San Francisco

1. City & County of San Francisco JOBS NOW! ARRA Subsidized Employment Program Prepared for CWDA Regional Meetings August 2009

2. Target Populations • Current and former CalWORKs recipients • Non-custodial parents receiving general assistance • Child welfare families • Other needy families under 200% FPL, including laid off City/County employees

3. SF’s Eligibility Determination for Needy Families • Applicant’s total household income must be <200% FPL • 30 day look-back period for determining income eligibility • Eligible applicants must have been (a) unemployed for 30 days, OR (b) working less than 25 hours per week for the past 30 days and earning less than 200% FPL • Acceptable documentation: • paycheck stubs • a UIB Award letter or UIB check stub • a letter on employer letterhead of layoff or termination • proof of Public Assistance (CW, FS, Medi-Cal, GA) - CalWIN printout • applicant statement accepted as a last resort

4. Three Tiered Program Design • Tier 1: Transitional employment in the non-profit sector for job seekers with low labor market readiness and multiple barriers • Tier 2: Public sector employment for job seekers with mid-level labor market readiness • Tier 3: Private sector employment for job seekers with relatively high labor market readiness and work experience

5. Transitional Employment Program (TEP) • Programs operated by county-contracted community based organizations • Total contract cost will be claimed for 80% ARRA reimbursement • Contractor hires and payrolls participants, identifies and manages job placement sites, provides case management, assists participants with barrier remediation and provides soft skills training • TEP offerings include programs for limited English proficiency clients • Wage rate is $11.03/hour; participants paid for time in classroom and at work placement site • 32 hours/week (27 work and 5 classroom); program duration is 6-9 months • Participants exit to a Tier 2 or 3 subsidized job

6. Public Service Trainee (PST) Program • Job placements are available at 15 public agencies • SF-HSA hires and payrolls participants, identifies job placement sites, provides case management, assists participants with barrier remediation and provides soft skills training • Participants are temporary exempt civil servants hired until 9/30/10 • Wage rate is $12.21/hour and participants are eligible for benefits • Placement agency provides work site supervision and on-the-job training and is responsible for the 20% match • Jobs are up to 40 hours/week, including 4 hours/week of soft skills training, retention and career advancement activities (at placement agency’s option) • Job duties include entry-level clerical, support services/recycling/transportation, and facilities/grounds maintenance

7. Private Sector Wage Subsidy Program • Private for-profit or non-profit employer hires and payrolls participants, provides workplace supervision and on-the-job training • Employers required to respond to a brief RFQ and sign a Wage Subsidy Agreement • SF-HSA covers 100% of the wage subsidy through 9/30/10; employer covers the 20% program match through benefits pickup, supervision, etc. • Employers are reimbursed for the wage subsidy directly by SF-HSA if employer is a City vendor, or by a fiscal intermediary contracted by SF-HSA if not a City vendor • Jobs are up to 40 hours/week depending on employer’s needs, including 4 hours/week of soft skills training, retention and career advancement activities (at employer’s option) • Wage rate will vary as it is set by the individual employer but must be at least $9.79/hour (SF Minimum Wage)

8. 20% Match Sources • Single Allocation • Pre-existing county General Fund budget for subsidized employment programs • “Surplus” private employer match

9. Questions? For more information: www.sfhsa.org noelle.simmons@sfgov.org