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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY 12625 ‐ 4th Avenue West, Suite 200 • Everett, Washington 98204 (425) 290‐8499 • TDD (425) 290‐5785 • FAX (425) 290‐5618 April 1, 2015 [Client Name] [Address] [City, State, Zip] Dear [Client Name]: Last year you received letters from HASCO in January and February explaining that if federal budget cuts resulted in HASCO not having enough money to support continued housing assistance for some of the families on the Section 8 program, the families that had received assistance the longest would be the first families to be terminated off of the program. The letters further explained that your family was one of the 500 families that had been on the Section 8 program the longest and encouraged you to participate in a HASCO employment program to increase your household’s earned income. We are getting back in touch with you because there is still uncertainty around future funding levels for the Section 8 program and our funding is not keeping up with inflation or the rising rents in the Snohomish County area. HASCO will likely be funding fewer vouchers every year if federal funding trends continue. Therefore, HASCO still strongly encourages your family to take steps to increase your earned income so that you can eventually afford to rent your housing unit without rental assistance from HASCO. In order to assist you in increasing your earned income, last year HASCO partnered with WorkSource to provide you with personalized employment assistance from an Employment Navigator exclusively working with HASCO’s Section 8 families that have been on the program the longest. HASCO’s Employment Navigator is Andrea Inman and she is very excited to partner with you on your path to increase your household’s earned income and decrease your dependence on rental assistance. Please contact Andrea at 425‐258‐6343 or ainman@esd.wa.gov for more information about how she can help you reach your employment goals. Andrea can work with you and all other adult members of your family, whether they are unemployed, underemployed, or need to increase their wages to bring more income into your household. Andrea can give you access to a full menu of services offered at the WorkSource office, training opportunities and resources, job search and placement assistance, community resources, supportive services, and labor market information. In the last year, HASCO Section 8 clients like you participated in the HASCO Employment Initiative to gain additional training, become employed, and/or increase their earned income. We have experienced a number of successes and still have slots available for the remaining 9 months of this employment program. Here is more information about the WorkSource employment program for HASCO Section 8 clients: One‐on‐One Coaching Andrea will meet with you one on one to discuss your interests and a pathway to your individual employment and career goals. She will help you identify your barriers to obtaining employment or increasing your wages and provide you with the necessary tools to realize your goals over time. You can also complete a self‐assessment tool that will help guide you toward success in stabilizing your life. The self‐assessment can be used multiple times as a way to track your ongoing successes.
Equal Housing Opportunity Power‐Up Workshop Power‐Up will launch you on a fast‐track to employment. You will gain access to free online training tools and marketing templates, as well as an intensive job‐readiness ladder that follows a proven plan. Get on the move with Power‐Up to get energized and motivated for your next job. Over 300 participants have attended Power‐Up job ready classes since December 2015 and many participants have said the class provides the necessary skills for the current job market. HASCO clients have attended Power‐Up and are now employed. Contact Andrea for workshop dates and times and to register. Project RISE These seminars are for people that have been unemployed long‐term and provide participants with new tools and resources. An initial session drew six people to listen to a talk by an aerospace‐manufacturing representative and three of those people were hired by the company, which will provide them with job training at $15 to $16 an hour, and higher wages after their training is complete. Contact Andrea for workshop dates and times and to register. Job Exchange Networking Group Come to this workshop and discover who is hiring, what types of jobs are in demand, and how people are getting hired right now. Listings of a few hot jobs will be provided that might fit you. This group meets twice a month. Come every time, and you will network with staff and fellow job seekers to find even more jobs for you. Contact Andrea for workshop dates and times and to register. Dependable Strengths Workshop Would you like to find a job you enjoy and that you’re good at? This is a full‐day course where you will learn how to find your own unique strengths. You have strengths! Employers want them! Learn what they are. Come to this workshop and discover the many qualities that lie hidden within and learn to talk about them in an interview. Contact Andrea for workshop dates and times and to register. Flex Fund A fund specifically dedicated to assisting HASCO clients with barriers to obtaining and retaining employment that are working with Andrea on employment goals. The fund is used on a case by case basis to cover employment and training costs for clients such as transportation, work clothes, identification cards, driver’s licenses, and certificates. Please contact Andrea at 425‐258‐6343 or ainman@esd.wa.gov for more information about how she can help you reach your employment goals. Sincerely, HASCO Please contact Andrea Inman at 425‐258‐258‐6343 to request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or to request an interpreter. Equal Housing Opportunity