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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8605 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NO- 8605 T Date: 6/8/04 jf 4 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 1 of 2 Discussion of the Day Labor Center Project Tara Purpose: The purpose of this informal report is to provide an update on the Day Labor Center as requested by City Council during the April 27, 2004 Council meeting. This report also provides a brief on the recommendations and conclusions reached in a study conducted by the City of Fort Worth Organizational Analysis Unit pertaining to the Day Labor Center, Background: The Day Labor Center was opened in December 2001 with the stated mission of providing a range of services to day labor workers and prospective contractors so that the workers may transition to viable employment. The center provides a safe, dry alternative to the street corners and allows contractors to obtain workers in an organized and supervised environment. Some of the main goals of the center are to continually increase worker traffic and conduct outreach efforts to contractors still utilizing the "unofficial" work corners. Performance: The Day Labor Center staff has been tracking the overall performance of the center in terms of workers visiting the center, contractors visiting the center, and workers actually placed for work. Contractors, for purposes of tracking, would be defined as small business owners such as landscapers, roofers, and movers. Homeowners using workers for special duties around the home, farm, or ranch are also included in these numbers. During the first six months of fiscal year 2002-2003, the center had a total of r" workers visit the center with a monthly average of 1,331 workers for this period. Over the same time period for fiscal year 2003-2004, a total of 9,605 workers visited the center and the monthly average rose to 1,600 workers. This is an increase of approximately 17% over the prior year's numbers. Contractors using the center during the 2002-2003 period totaled 1,495 and increased to 1,684 during the same period in 2003- 2004, which resulted in a rise of 11%. Additionally, worker placement also increased from a total of 2,771 placements in 2002-2003 to 2,953 in 2003-2004 resulting in a rise of 6%. Recently, the Organizational Analysis Unit (OAU) conducted an assessment of the center to determine ways to improve overall operations and performance. The study included process mapping, stakeholder interviews and identification of potential improvements to processes, procedures and logistics. OAU Findings: One of the main issues with the Day Labor Center is the location of the facility. The center is located off 1-30 between Summit and Forest Park Drive, however due to its placement, contractors have a difficult time finding the facility the first time they choose to utilize the center's services. Parking for workers, contractors and staff has also become an issue at the facility. Contractors only have a small, designated area to pick up laborers and an increasing number of workers with cars fill up the 25 parking spots located in the area. There is no bus line to the facility, but The T has continued to partner with the City in providing two express buses to the center. Due to the lack of a bus line, City staff must shuttle workers back to the Downtown ITC or to homeless shelters at the end of the day. The City, using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, acquired the van used for this service. The size of the facility also makes it very difficult for a staff of two full-time individuals to operate efficiently. The current space measures 7,200 square feet and rent, maintenance, and utilities average $60,000 annually. Another area of concern was the overall mission of the center and what staff hoped to accomplish. The broadness of the Day Labor Centers mission statement left the specific duties of the staff difficult to define. The center has attempted to model its activities after the Austin Day Labor Center known as First Workers. One of the main goals of First Workers is to assist the laborers with educational needs, social service needs ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8605 NATE Date: 6/8/04 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Discussion of the Day Labor Center Project Page 2 of 2 yarn and non-payment of wages. In trying to follow this model, the Day Labor Center staff had to divide their time between these activities and marketing the center. This resulted in neither activity receiving the attention it deserved in order to have a positive impact on the workers using the center. Recommendations: From their analysis, OALI was able to establish a number of initiatives the center should undertake over the next few months. These initiatives include: • Find a new location for the Day Labor Center, • Increase the marketing of the facility, • Define the overall mission of the Day Labor Center, • Prepare an orientation video, and • Prepare a comprehensive reporting system. OALI recognizes that any new location proposed for the Day Labor Center should provide for greater accessibility, more parking and a better layout to make it more functional for the staff that operates the center. The staffs daily tasks should be more aligned with the division's business plan and goals. To accomplish this, staff members have utilized workshops to develop goals and action plans that will help them in completing their initiatives. Included in the action plan are measurable time constraints to complete goals. Additionally, staff will identify the financial resources required to implement these initiatives. The new mission statement developed by the staff also provides more focus on what the center hopes to accomplish over the long term. The main priority of the center will be to increase employer traffic over the coming years. With the completion of the orientation video and a streamlining of the reporting system to track workers, staff will be able to concentrate more time on the marketing of the center. Of key importance is to continue the outreach efforts to contractors, workers, and businesses. The efforts of the Police Department have been instrumental in ensuring that the "unofficial" areas where contractors are used to picking up laborers are no longer utilized. Through increased patrols, educating the workers and contractors, and issuing citations as necessary, the use of these "unofficial" areas has dwindled substantially. The Day Labor Center continues to improve in areas of recruitment and worker placement. With the continued assistance of OAU, staff will be able to further define those initiatives and activities that will produce t m t nefi the center. a Jacks C I g r i Ma a e ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS