In 2023, the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County’s ONEhillsborough initiative convened From Surviving to Thriving: A Cost of Living Workshop to Develop Solutions for Working Families. The gathering brought together community leaders from the private and public sectors to collaborate on identifying practical ways to help working families move beyond survival in the face of Hillsborough County’s rising cost of living.
The Children’s Board partnered with the Junior League of Tampa, United Way Suncoast, CareerSource Tampa Bay, and Vistra Communications to make the event possible. During the presentations, one insight struck Tewabech Genet Stewart, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Children’s Board, with particular force.
“I didn’t realize until the Junior League of Tampa did their presentation that there are women who miss work because they don’t have access to period supplies, or they don’t have access to diapers. In order to send your child to child care, you have to
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Children's Board of Hillsborough County Director of Strategic Initiatives Tewabech Genet Stewartbe able to send them with diapers,’’ she says.
The Children’s Board decided to work on a solution, funding a new program, called Wealth Builders, that the Corporation to Develop Communities (CDC) of Tampa created to give parents training and guidance to get better-paying jobs. The program also helps with housing and financial planning. It’s been in operation for nearly a year and so far has 70 participants, says Wealth Builders Program Director Magdalena “Maggie’’ Sanchez.
Wealth Builders serves three zip codes where poverty is severe and more people need help with basic supplies. The zip codes cover areas of Tampa Heights and south Seminole Heights, East Tampa, and the Palm River, Clair-Mel, and Progress Village communities just southeast of the city. In these areas, many residents are working parents struggling in jobs that don’t pay enough to support their families. Many depend on food banks or assistance to keep the family fed.
“We are really excited about the partnership that we have with CDC of Tampa because they are located in the East Tampa community,” Stewart says. “They were really created to serve that community that has a lot of challenges, but also has a lot of strengths. There’s a lot of economic growth.”
Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights are changing as young professionals and others buy and renovate old homes, so the program has unofficially expanded into the West River Community, she says.
Multiple job training paths
CDC of Tampa Director of Workforce Development David Jones says participants can get training in job sectors like construction, customer service, and environmental work. Through the agency’s partnerships, people can also train for jobs in the medical and health care fields, such as certified nursing assistants and phlebotomists.
“We don't try to say this is the direction you should go in. It’s really what’s going to
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CDC of TampaCDC of Tampa Director of Workforce Development David Jones benefit you,’’ Jones says. “When they go through those programs, they have stackable credentials or certifications that they earned, so then it’s not just one lane.’’
For example, the construction training program includes forklift certification. Participants get pre-apprenticeship training if they choose to go into any of the trades. If they choose electrical, plumbing, or other trades, they have access to four-year tracts to earn their journeyman’s license, he says.
Those seeking better-paying jobs all go through the CDC of Tampa career training course Stepping Stones. It’s a four-day course that teaches interviewing skills, resume building, financial literacy, and conflict resolution.
“(It’s) just making sure that they understand not only how to apply and interview for positions but also how to maintain employment for six months, a year, and being able also to get promotions as they are working on this job,” Jones says.
“As they come into the CDC of Tampa and get into our orientations, then that’s when that beautiful magic begins to happen, where they get introduced to all of the programs that the CDC of Tampa offers and have Wealth Builders’ amazing case management force that really helps stabilize any candidate that’s going through the CDC of Tampa,’’ he says.
Success stories
Jones shares some success stories.
He says one young married man who came through the program had worked in the electrical field before coming to Florida and didn’t have the certifications needed to get hired as an electrician here. Through Wealth Builders, he got the basic certifications to land an apprenticeship while he worked on and earned his top certifications.
“He was immediately hired by J.D. Power, and I think his salary is over $30 or $35 an hour,’’ Jones says.
Another man, a single father who has custody of his daughter, was unemployed. He was referred to CDC of Tampa for the construction training program.
“He went through the program, catching the bus, riding his bicycle to training every day,” Jones says. “He was able to get hired at a company, Road Safe, as a flagger, making $17 to $18 an hour. He went from zero.’’
Jones says the employers he talks with all say they can teach work skills on the job, but can’t teach soft skills like showing up on time and how to stay productive while they’re on site.
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CDC of TampaWealth Builders Program Director Magdalena “Maggie’’ Sanchez.All Wealth Builders participants have a case manager who can help connect them to family resources like tutoring for children in school, food banks, and assistance signing up for Medicaid. If a worker is distracted from their job because their family is facing eviction or some other hardship, Wealth Builders can help with rent until the worker is paid, Sanchez says. The case managers try to mitigate a lot of the obstacles participants face and help them become successful.
“It’s not an easy job,’’ she says.
For more information, go to Wealth Builders