SEATTLE—March 5, 2008—The Job Connection, Seattle Housing Authority's job placement and career development service, is showing consistent improvement in helping residents find new jobs and advance in their current jobs.

A recent report shows that The Job Connection succeeded in securing 242 job placements for residents last year. At the same time, the average hourly wage for these placements increased by six percent, from $11.70 to $12.39 per hour. Most placements were for full time work, and most (83 percent) included benefits.

"Because employment is such a critical factor for helping residents to gain self-sufficiency, The Job Connection plays an important role in fostering success," notes Laura Lakings-Becvar, manager of the program.

Sometimes the services offered by the staff are as simple as help with a resume or advice on where to apply for a job. Other times, The Job Connection works with their clients over several months, assessing their job skills, practicing interview techniques and researching job possibilities. Staff of The Job Connection also cultivate relationships with area employers so that they can refer clients to them.

Dan Goodman was unemployed for three years after the gas station where he worked closed down. A resident of SHA's Lake City House, he heard about The Job Connection and decided to give it a shot. He had competed his GED and was looking for steady employment.

Larry Hill, a counselor with The Job Connection, suggested that he try pest control. Goodman interviewed with Seattle Housing Authority's pest control program and began working. "I was just happy to get the job," he said. "I've been doing really well at it. I got my pest control license earlier than I was supposed to."

Adjusting to the job has not always been easy, however. "I really enjoy working with bugs ... now," he says. "I went on a job at a high-rise apartment building where a woman who didn't speak much English wouldn't let us in. Then, we showed her the picture of a cockroach on the side of our bait bottle. She immediately let us in then!"

When Goodman saw the cockroach infestation in the woman's apartment he reports that he screamed. "My partner told me, 'It kind of scares people when you do that." Gradually, Goodman has gotten accustomed to such uncomfortable situations.

Christina White used the services of The Job Connection's West Seattle office to help her land a position as a case manager with the Congregation for the Homeless in Bellevue. "I would never have succeeded so quickly without the help of The Job Connection," she says.

White took advantage of services to help her improve her resume and hone her interview skills. Once she identified the Congregation for the Homeless as a company she was interested in, she applied for a position using her new resume. Her training paid off, and she was hired in August 2007. In her new job she helps residents in transitional housing locate the services they need and learn skills that can put them on the road to self-sufficiency.