Welfare Reform
* Welfare reform is a challenge and also an opportunity for all of us. Community leaders, elected officials, public agencies, community-based organizations, the business community, employers and, of course, the recipients must work together and change our attitudes.
We must find creative strategies to effectively transition welfare recipients to the labor force.
The Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles is already engineering that transition through the community service centers in various areas, including one in the San Fernando Gardens in Pacoima.
These community service centers assist residents by providing them with pre-employment job preparation and job placement. But L.A. Housing cannot do it alone. They need employers to hire residents they train. The city of Los Angeles has tax incentive programs for employers, and I am sure that Mayor Richard Riordan and council members are already working on strategies to create jobs and encourage and motivate employers to participate in transitioning Angelenos from welfare to the labor force.
All the necessary elements must come together to have a successful transition. It can be done.
MARIO MATUTE
Canyon Country
Matute is project director for San Fernando Gardens Community Service Center, Los Angeles Housing Authority.
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