Monday, April 11, 2011

UPDATE: San Francisco's JOBS NOW! Program Successor - JobsNOW2


BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - As of April 11, 2011

Mayor Ed Lee, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) Director Trent Rhorer today highlighted local incentives and private sector wage subsidies through JobsNOW2, a City-funded successor to the successful federal stimulus-funded Jobs NOW! initiative (see our previous blog posts below for more information). More than 500 San Francisco residents are now employed through the JobsNOW2 program, but the City would like to see more participation from local small business to get more San Francisco residents jobs.

JobsNOW2 reimburses employers for the first $5,000 in wages paid to an employee hired from the eligible job seeker pool. JobsNOW2 now consists of a larger subsidy from $2,500 to $5,000, and the $5,000 wage subsidy can cover two to three months of total wages, a significant benefit to small businesses. JobsNOW2 subsidies help to greatly reduce both the risk and the cost of hiring a new employee and gets more San Francisco residents working. To date, more than 100 businesses have applied to participate in the program and approximately 70 people are now in jobs in the private sector.

Former Mayor Gavin Newsom started the JobsNOW2 program with a request to appropriate $2.12 million from within the City’s General Fund budget to support the initiative after Congress failed to extend stimulus funding for subsidized employment programs in September 2010. JobsNOW2 is funded only at current levels through June 30, 2011.

Interested businesses should call 311 or 1-877-JOB1NOW (1-877-562-1669) or go to the HSA website: www.sfhsa.org/1537.htm for more information.

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BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - As of September 30, 2010

Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Statement On Expiration Today Of Federal Stimulus Funding For Jobs NOW!

Mayor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the expiration at midnight tonight of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF-ECF), the federal stimulus program that has funded San Francisco’s highly successful JOBS NOW! employment program:

“Amidst the worst recession in generations and a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a quarter million Americans and 4,127 San Franciscans have a job today because of this federal stimulus program that works. Subsidizing private sector jobs for parents out-of-work is a far better investment in families and in our local small businesses than pushing people back into joblessness and handing out unemployment checks. I am deeply disappointed that Congress has recessed without extending this highly successful stimulus program, putting thousands of working parents across the nation at risk of losing their jobs. Fortunately, we know that many businesses plan to keep their employees, but we are also taking steps in San Francisco to offer new local incentives for private sector employers to hire working parents. We simply cannot afford to let Washington politics stymie our efforts to grow our local economy and keep people working.”

San Francisco’s innovative and nationally recognized JOBS NOW! program is administered by the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SF-HSA) and was launched in May 2009 with federal funds made available through the ARRA. Successes to date include the following:
  • 4,127 job placements have been made since May 2009.
  • Over 800 employers, many of whom are local small business owners, have been able to hire despite the recession.
  • Approximately $55 million dollars in wages have been pumped into the San Francisco economy.
  • 82% of participating employers report that their businesses run more efficiently and 72% reported increased sales as a result of the Jobs NOW! program.
Beginning October 1st , the City’s new locally-funded version of the JOBS NOW! program will provide private sector employers who qualify with a $2,500 wage subsidy for each new hire. Up to 1,740 low-income parents will be served through the end of the fiscal year (i.e., June 30, 2011). Employers who have already received a subsidy through the Jobs NOW! program will only be eligible for a new subsidy if they retain their original hires. Ongoing opportunities will also be available for public agencies and nonprofits to hire through the program, but will be structured somewhat differently. Interested employers should call 1-877-JOB1-NOW or 311 for more information.

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UPDATE - As of July 26, 2010

Recently, there have been reports that Congress may not extend funding past September 30, 2010 for the successful JOBS NOW! program.  At present, Mayor Gavin Newsom is working aggressively with the City's federal partners on an extension and, in the meantime, employers are strongly encouraged to continue to apply for this job creating program. 

Please click here for updates and more information. 

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Original Post - November 8, 2009

The San Francisco Human Services Agency (SF-HSA) is using newly available federal stimulus funds to expand subsidized employment opportunities, with a goal of placing 1,000 participants in jobs between May 2009 and September 2010.  This new program is called JOBS NOW!

Consistent with the goals of the federal stimulus package, the primary objectives of the JOBS NOW! program are to provide an immediate source of income for low-income families and to stimulate local economic recovery.  JOBS NOW! builds upon several successful transitional jobs programs already in place at SF-HSA, which were designed to help unemployed individuals address barriers to employment, develop soft skills, gain work experience and progress toward self-sufficiency. JOBS NOW! participants will exit the program with stable employment history, leaving them better positioned to obtain an unsubsidized job when the stimulus period ends. The JOBS NOW! program benefits local employers by providing referrals of qualified workers and by subsidizing 100% of their wages until September 30, 2010.  It's a win-win!

Thank you to SF Works for promoting this program.  If you'd like more information on JOBS NOW! for private and nonprofit employers please click here

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