Washington DC Taking Step To Address Trans Job Issue

September 20, 2011 ·

According to the DC Trans Coalition,  the city has promised to help address on of the pressing problems in the local trans community in terms of unemployment.

As the Injustice At Every Turn report painfully pointed out,  Black transpeople are facing unemployment rates as high as 26% almost double the African American employment rate.

The program had a start date of September 12  and would start with an initial class of 20 participants.  The participants would spend the first three weeks of in class pre-employment training and job coaching followed by 6 months of subsidized employment.

The Department of Employment Services will pay each participant minimum wage, while they are placed in an apprentice role with an employer. The goal is to support the participant in finding full-time employment by the end of the six months.

Eligibility Requirements

All potential TEP participants must meet the following requirements for enrollment:

  • Age 22 to 54
  • District resident (as verified through a DMV records, lease, or judgment/commitment papers)
  • Currently unemployed
  • Not receiving government assistance, such as TANF, SSI, or Unemployment Compensation (Food Stamps are acceptable)
  • Not currently using any illegal substances (there will be a urinalysis conducted at Orientation)
  • Not a participant in a Project Empowerment workforce development program within the past 2 years

In addition, all potential TEP participants must demonstrate a substantial need for intensive employment assistance by exhibiting 3 or more of the following barriers to employment:

  • Basic skills deficiency, demonstrated by a lack of sufficient mastery of basic educational skills exhibited by CASAS scores below the 8thgrade reading level and/or an English language deficiency with an inability to speak, read, or write the English language
  • Lack of a secondary school educational credential (high school diploma or its recognized equivalent)
  • A documented history of substance abuse
  • Homelessness
  • A history of Job Cycling in which he/she has not maintained employment for more than one (1) consecutive quarter in the past eight (8) quarters, as verified through UI Wage Bumps
  • A conviction for a Serious or Violent Offense

Pending referral to TEP, all potential participants must be in compliance with and actively engaged in the employment activities outlined in the plan developed during the pre-enrollment assessment with a OneStop case manager for a period of at least four (4) weeks.

cross-posted from TransGriot

Next Post

Hold Dr. Keith Ablow Responsible… NOW!

Note: Update 9/19/2011, here’s my ethics complaint letter against Dr. Ablow before I sent it off today:   By now, you are probably aware of the disgusting and shameful professional behavior of Dr. Keith Ablow, a pop psychiatrist employed by…
Read
Previous Post

Truth Wins Out Radio: Ex-Transgender Radio

Example of right-wing ex-trans site I find the response that I’ve had to this is really interesting. After folks like pop-psychologist (trained in criminal psychology and practices a Chris Angel-like therapy called “Street Therapy”) Dr. Keith Ablow was given an…
Read
Random Post

Why an Iowa-Employed, Transsexual Woman Resident of Illinois Has More Authority to Speak on Maryland Transsexual Law Than Morgan Meneses-Sheets or Any Non-Trans Gay or Lesbian

Its time to look at one of Kat's many photo albums. Ansel Adams quality?  Prolly not.  But, nevertheless, they are a couple of shots I took in and near a DC Metro stop in Maryland whilst a bit bored one evening…
Read
Random Post

#whichlivesmatter?

Cianán is a lapsed Ph.D. chemist, writer, public speaker, trainer, activist, and assessment expert whose interests in activism are transmasculine representation in global trans activism and development of the public concept of trans folks as complete people with lives, identities,…
Read
Random Post

Jesus Loves Liars Too

"The American Family Association of Indiana is dedicated to reducing destructive sexual behavior by promoting Judeo-Christian values through education, active community partnering, and empowering individuals at the local, state, and national level." That's the mission statement of American Family Association…
Read
Random Post

Signature Count Released In AB 1266 Referendum Signature Drive

On November 10, 2012, the Associated Press posted the article Group collects signatures to repeal Calif. transgender law. The article gives numbers related to the signature drive by the Privacy For All Students coalition's effort to repeal the School Success…
Read
  1. “the city has promised to help address on of the pressing problems in the local trans community in terms of unemployment”

    Will this include forcing HRC and NGLTF to end their discriminatory hiring practices?

  2. Remember folks: You only have a right to meaningful employment if you forfeit your fourth and fifth amendment rights by peeing in a cup.

    1. This caught my eye, too:

      One of the must-haves:
      A documented history of substance abuse.

      One of the must-not-haves:
      Not currently using any illegal substances (there will be a urinalysis conducted at Orientation)

      It makes it sound like this program is only for a certain privileged set, those most likely to succeed because they already have. 

      Perhaps DC should start by stopping the killing, shooting and beating of trans women.  Start with the cops and work down.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.