The Self Sufficiency Standard for Oregon Counties, 2017
Developed by Dr. Diana Pearce, Director of the Center for Women's Welfare at the University of Washington, the Self-Sufficiency Standard measures how much income a family of a certain composition in a given place in Oregon must earn to meet their basic needs, without public or private subsidies. The standard factors in the cost of six basic needs calibrated to the specific costs for a particular county in Oregon: child care, food, health, housing, transportation, and miscellaneous. // Read more
Worksystems Releases Aligned Partner Model and Policies
A prolonged period of economic volatility, skyrocketing need, and budget reductions left public agencies and non-profits unable to meet the demand for services that help people move toward self-sufficiency. Recognizing the growing expectation that more be done with less, Worksystems created an innovative model that connects the public workforce system and local agencies serving populations in need. // Read more
Housing Works Partners Release Policy Recommendations
In July 2012, The Portland-Vancouver region received a Department of Labor grant to support Housing Works - a bi-state collaborations between three workforce investment boards and four public housing authorities to develop a model to effectively train and place long term housing residents into sustainable employment. As one of only a handful of pilot sites, the project is charged with producing proven practices that are replicable nationally. Worksystems serves as the lead agency for the grant. // Read more