A report by the Women’s Economic Security Campaign profiles numerous innovative programs that help low-income women achieve financial stability.

“Aiming Higher: Removing Barriers to Education, Training and Jobs for Low-Income Women” (pdf) also proposes several policy changes to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and other federal programs, all aimed at increasing opportunities for low-income women.

Although direct-care workers are not specifically mentioned in the report, they would clearly stand to benefit from the programs and the policy suggestions.

The direct-care workforce (pdf) is 90 percent female, and the median yearly income of all direct-care workers is just $17,000. More than four in ten direct-care workers rely on public benefits for basic services.

“Home health aides and personal care aides are the third and fourth fastest-growing occupations (pdf) in the country and are far too often overlooked when it comes to investments in entry-level training — let alone career ladders,” said Carol Regan, PHI government affairs director. “This report highlights the need for WIA to be changed to address this workforce.”

Proposed Policy Changes

The report recommends that federal policymakers should work to help low-income women find jobs more easily. Some of the specific recommendations include:

• WIA should be modified to strengthen the career paths available to low-income workers by expanding education and job training systems.
• Low-income workers should be made more aware of the specific benefits offered by TANF.
• Congress should pass the Local Jobs for America Act, which would authorize the distribution of $100 billion over two years, targeted at maintaining vibrant job markets in local economies.

The report notes that, by strengthening job opportunities for low-income female workers — a group especially vulnerable to the current economic recession — federal policymakers would be strengthening the entire U.S. economy from its foundation up.

Programs Promote Good Jobs

The report profiles nine local programs that aid low-income women in their drive to secure and maintain meaningful, stable, and high-quality jobs.

One program, Memphis Hope, helps former public-housing residents in Memphis, Tennessee, find jobs. Memphis Hope cooperates with local businesses and has a very high success rate of matching women with rewarding job opportunities.

Other programs profiled in the report promote work experience and on-the-job training, address stereotypes that plague low-income women, and educate women on the work supports available to them.

About the Campaign

The Women’s Economic Security Campaign is a project of four women’s funds scattered throughout the U.S.: the Chicago Foundation for Women, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and the Women’s Foundation of California.

Representatives from those women’s funds spoke about the “Aiming Higher” report in a two-part video interview at Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. Part one explains the challenges low-income women are facing during the recession, while part two explains some of the practices described in the report.

– by Matthew Ozga