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Project Community Capital®: a social capital platform - connecting ready workers to employment opportunities
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Content
1
Project Community Capital®: A Social Capital Platform - Connecting Ready Workers to
Employment Opportunities
By
Gina Merritt
A Capstone Project
Presented to:
The Faculty of the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
University of Southern California
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
May 2021
1
Acknowledgments
This has been a long journey. I have worked exceptionally hard to get here balancing work, life,
and school – and this was not easy. I have had a lot of support and assistance during this amazing
experience.
I would like to first thank my Qualifying Assessment Committee Dr. Robin Kay-Wicker, Dr.
George Orras and Dr. Renee Smith-Maddox. Your initial feedback on my presentation and
intervention was invaluable.
I would also like to thank my Capstone Assessment Committee Dr. Robin Kay-Wicker, Dr. Eric
Rice, and Dr. Renee Smith Maddox in advance. I now know each of you to varying degrees and
thus I expect that you will perform your duties as usual – principled, rigorously, and encouraging.
A special thanks to Dr. Renee Smith-Maddox for being the incredible sounding board and
instructor that every doctoral candidate needs. You have inspired me to stretch myself at all times
to work to be the best community servant that I can be.
A special thanks to Dr. Michael Rank – for providing the ultimate support to me when I needed it
the most. You gave me the confidence to get through many a difficult moment.
A special thanks to Dr. Jane James – for holding us up in the light during the dark summer of 2020
while going through your own personal difficulties. You are an amazing human.
To the DSW instructors: thank you all. For imparting the wisdom and knowledge in me that now
makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.
To my staff – you put up with me and my shortcomings during this two-year period and always
had my back – for that I am grateful.
To my Peer Group – you rock. My Sisters in Social Work – Malikah Marrus, Laura Dickerman,
and Joanne Lunceford. I really needed you during this last semester and I am grateful for our
fellowship.
To my best bud in the program – Brandon Gillespie – we are friends forever. Thanks for those
calls after difficult classes where we were able to vent, which allowed us to stay on track. You
will always be my twin—we are attached at the hip, for always.
Finally, and most importantly – to my amazing Husband and Daughter – without them, life means
nothing. My Husband has been ever so patient with my work and school life. It has usurped any
available time I might spend with him, but he is my rock and is always there, supporting me and
loving me just the way I am. To my child, my heart, my essence of being–Dakotah–not only was
she patient with me, loving, kind, generous, and supportive during this time – she was also my
editor. Her gifts – her ability as a writer and a poet has served me well. She taught her mother
how to write in APA style (I’m an MBA) and was very very very patient in that process. The
2
support and love shown to me by both of you have made these two challenging years much easier
to accomplish.
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Executive Summary 2
II. Conceptual Framework 5
Problem Statement 5
Literature Review 6
Social Significance 8
Framework, Logic Model and Theory of Change 10
Social Capital Theory 10
Network Theory 11
Collective Impact Framework 11
Connecting the Theories 12
Logic Model and Theory of Change 12
III. Problems of Practice and Solution 13
The Solution 13
Contributions to the Grand Challenge-Reducing 16
Economic Inequality
Stakeholder Analysis 19
Building Upon Existing Evidence 19
History, Policy and Practice 19
Public Discourse 19
Local Context 20
Existing Opportunities for Innovation 21
Project Community Capital® Alignment with 22
Theory of Change Model
PCC’s Potential for Success 23
IV. Project Structure, Methodology and Action 24
Components
Prototype 25
Solution Landscape Analysis 26
Project Community Capital® Implementation 27
Clear Pathways and Intractable Obstacles 28
Leadership Strategies 30
PCC’s Financial Plan and Implementation 30
Strategy
Methods for Assessment of Impact 31
Stakeholder Involvement, Cultural 32
Responsiveness, and Ethical Considerations
Communication Products and Strategies 34
A Collection of Solutions 34
V. Conclusions, Actions, and Implications 35
PCC Action Plan 36
Revised Prototype 38
References 39
4
APPENDIX
Table 1 US Median Income Analysis by Race
Table 2 US Median Income Analysis by Race as a Percentage of All Races and
Whites
Figure 1 Workforce Leverage Collective™ (WFL Collective™) Framework, Design
Features, and Process
Figure 2 Mission, Goals, and Objectives of the PCC Platform
Figure 4 Testimonials
Figure 5 Logic Model
Figure 5.1 Image of Theory of Change
Figure 7 Baltimore City WFL Collective™ Members
Figure 9 PCC Employment Candidate Prototype – Revised (Includes Enlarged
Sections)
Figure 9.1 Prototype Description
Figure 9.2 Steps in Process for Successful Candidate
Figure 10 Solution Landscape Analysis
Figure 11 PCC Budget – First Two Years of Operations
Figure 12 PCC Organization Chart
Figure 13 PCC Descriptions of Roles and Responsibilities
Figure 14 PCC Flowchart of Pre-Screening Process
Figure 15 MHA Lab Employee Survey
Figure 15.1 MHA Lab Employer Survey
Figure 16 PCC Marketing Campaign Strategy
Figure 17 Restated Stakeholder Analysis
Figure 18 PCC Action Plan
2
Project Community Capital®: A Social Capital Platform - Connecting Ready Workers to
Employment Opportunities
I. Executive Summary
PCC's work is influenced by the Grand Challenge "Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality."
PCC identifies ready workers and connects them to job opportunities they would otherwise not
know about. Fifty-six percent of jobs are found using social capital, and seventy percent of jobs
are not publicly marketed (Ayers, 2016). This valuable social capital, if possessed, would allow
low-income individuals to access jobs, earn income, and achieve a better life for themselves and
their families.
The disparity in unemployment rates is stark between White people and people of color.
Black unemployment is nearly twice that of white unemployment (Nicolaci, 2019). Blacks and
Hispanics only earn 58% to 60% of the income earned by White Americans, respectively (White
House, 2019). The have-nots, who need jobs are beholden to the haves; the creators of jobs (Green,
2005). See Table 1 and Table 2 for US Median Income Analysis by Race.
The government attempts to solve the unemployment problem by developing policy that
constitutes socio-economic goals, which align with the public investments they place into private
construction projects (HUD, n.d.). Private companies rely on public subsidies to develop and build
commercial properties in and around communities that lack resources, which historically have
been communities of color (Popkin, 2018).
According to research and practice, subcontractors struggle with finding people who are
reliable and who are capable of working more than a few days (Oakley, 2015). Employers lack the
time and competency to vet low-income employment candidates before construction starts on their
public projects (C. Breedlove, personal communication, November 2018). The referrals they
3
typically receive from government agencies and nonprofits do not have the three skills the
employer requires to offer employment for entry-level positions. When they do hire an individual
from the affected community, the people they hire lack the skills necessary to efficiently execute
their tasks. They lack Reliability, Trustworthiness, and Ambition or “RTA” (Shannon Achten,
personal communication, 2021). The employer’s behavior, hiring unqualified people or not hiring
at all, leaves employment positions unfulfilled and people from under-resourced communities
unemployed.
The goal of Project Community Capital
®
is to change the hiring practices of employers
who work on public projects while simultaneously increasing the income of people who live in the
affected communities. PCC leverages its relationships with businesses, employers, nonprofit
partners, and grassroots leaders to inform, connect, and employ people that do not have access to
employment opportunities on public projects. PCC screens individuals to determine work
readiness. Each person screened is designated a PCC Network Member. For those members who
are “Ready-To-Work,” the PCC team uploads the employment candidate’s profile into an online
application for easy access by employers. For those members who are not ready to work, PCC
connects them to social services such as mental and physical health practitioners and job readiness
providers. Under a collective impact model, leveraging organizations that offer a range of services
would allow PCC to connect jobs to people who can maintain them while helping people who need
support to become ready workers.
PCC will advance its work through the Workforce Leverage Collective™, a collaboration
of best-in-class partners with a common agenda—to reduce income inequality through access to
employment. By connecting ready workers to employment, PCC will help individuals increase
their income and their ability so support themselves and their families. Partners are recruited to
4
work together on solving the unemployment problem in under-resourced communities. See Figure
1 for framework, features and process of the Workforce Leverage Collective (™). PCC’s social
capital platform and Workforce Leverage Collective™ (WFL Collective™) will be a resource that
connects individuals to education, training and the next employment opportunity until PCC
members are able to use their newly gained social capital network to move to the next level in their
career journey with minimal reliance on PCC.
When employers utilize PCC, subcontractors no longer have the excuse that they cannot
locate anyone capable of maintaining a job (C. Breedlove, personal communication, November
2019). Employers will use PCC's Workforce Leverage™ database to connect with qualified
employees that can ensure they meet their project's socio-economic goals.
The significance of the intervention is that PCC can help build social capital for low-
income individuals. A lack of social capital has impacted generations of families who have been
unable to access employment opportunities (Barman-Adhikari, 2014). By leveraging social capital
under a Collective Impact Model, PCC can be a stepping-stone to long-term job opportunities, a
bridge to building social capital for its members, and a means to reduce extreme economic
inequality. If PCC can accomplish this, it will change employment practices in general and could
help increase the income of more than 15 million people (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). The
PCC team will cultivate employer relationships and make connections to construction projects,
ensuring that the billions spent by the US government on public projects impact underserved
communities as intended (Census, 2021).
Moving forward, the WFL Collective™ will be expanded to include new partners that can
bring more resources to the collaboration, including formal education, and higher-level hard and
soft skills training. These additional resources will bolster PCC’s ability to provide career path
5
opportunities. After the initial placement, PCC will assist people in their career path development
by working with new WFL Collective™ partners that provide access to education and training.
PCC will also develop new resources and features to bring to Network Members that will enhance
its experience, like the Employment Plug™ App. The App is a way to communicate with PCC
Network Members during the employment process. PCC will continue to develop features that
provide additional services desired by its members.
This Capstone Project is critical to helping solve the unemployment problem in low-
income communities. PCC allows the government and nonprofit agencies to meet their policy
objectives, their funders' mission, and improve their constituents' lives. Employers can preserve
their economics and reputation while community members benefit economically as the
government intended. The Project Community Capital Innovation® applies social capital,
network theory to low-income employment best practices to create a unique solution that can be
used to achieve superior outcomes for public projects on a national scale. See Figure 2 for further
detail on the mission, goals, and objectives of the PCC Platform.
II. Conceptual Framework
Problem Statement
The government spent more than $350B on construction activities in 2019 (Lawrence,
2019). The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) component of this budget
included over $50B in public housing investments (Lawrence, 2019). Residents of public housing
are unable to obtain and maintain employment on projects that housing authorities invest in
through redevelopment of their property (Policy Basics: Public Housing, 2017). According to the
Center on Budget and Policy Research, over 2.1 million Americans live in 1.1 million public
housing units (Policy Basics: Public Housing, 2017). With over 10M unemployed people in the
6
US, the new federal administration’s plans to invest billions in construction, both in housing and
infrastructure, is critical to decreasing the unemployment rate and addressing the need for
affordable housing (Biden Plan, 2020).
In January of 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, White Americans were unemployed
at a rate of 3.6%. The unemployment rate was 3.3% for Asian-Americans, 5.4% for Hispanic or
Latino, and 6.6% for Black Americans (BLS, 2020). The government has attempted to solve the
unemployment problem by requiring employers who work on public housing and other
government-sponsored projects to hire individuals from low-income communities. The problem
is employers hire individuals from these communities who are not “Ready-To-Work” and the
people who are “Ready-To-Work” don’t know where to find a job. Employers obtain government
agency referrals of individuals from these communities to help fulfill socio-economic goals. The
government referral typically does not meet the criteria that an employer requires to make an offer
of employment. Even so, employers will hire an unqualified person in haste, as they do not have
time to properly vet people before the start of construction. Individuals who are capable of working
on a public project are unaware that the contractors are required to hire them or do not know how
to access the opportunity (Fernandez, 2006). These hiring practices lead employers to hire
individuals that last only two to three weeks. Hence, the community does not benefit in the way
the government has intended. Residents from the impacted communities who are capable of
maintaining employment aren’t able to earn income from the government’s investment even
though they are more than capable of maintaining a job. Residents who are “Ready-To-Work” just
don’t know where the good paying jobs are (K. Jackson, personal communications, 2019; Ross,
2019).
7
Literature Review
A literature review illuminates the connection between neighborhood, race, and access to
opportunity. Between 2012 and 2016, men in impoverished neighborhoods were unemployed or
not part of the labor force at a 37% rate, compared to a 19% rate for people in all other
neighborhoods (Neumark, 2019). Individuals living in Fragile Communities— communities
where people lack financial resources and social mobility— were unemployed at a rate of 10%,
compared to the national average of 4.1%; sixty-six percent of the people from those communities
are people of color (Gallup, 2018). Their networks generally don't have high-value social capital,
and therefore, they cannot use those networks to connect them with job opportunities (Ayres,
2016). According to Bourdieu, a founding theorist of Social Capital Theory, there are three basic
types of capital; economic, cultural and social (Bourdieu, 1977) as described in Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Research has shown that 56% of jobs are found using social capital, and 70% of jobs aren't
even published in the public realm (Granovetter, 1974; Ayres, 2016). A 1999 study performed by
Brown and Konrad evaluated Granovetter's Network Theory, explicitly highlights the importance
of weak social ties (Brown, 2001). Granovetter purports weak social ties, which are defined as
relationships with people you do not have strong ties to, are of greater value than strong social ties.
Capital That Can
Be Converted
Immediately and
Directly into
Money
Economic Capital
Capital Tied to the
Educational
System and All of
TheHolders of this
Capital at Some
Point convert it
into Economic
Capital, Generally
Grounded in
Knowledge
Cultural Capital
Capital Based on
Relationships and
Those
Relationships Are
Built On Trust
Social Capital
8
Weak social ties provide information about employment opportunities that one would otherwise
not know about. Brown and Konrad note that through their study of Granovetter’s Network
Theory, the theory has proven true (Brown, 2001). Weak social links improve employment
outcomes (Brown, 2001).
COVID-19 has ravaged communities of color in many ways (Hawkins, 2020). People of
color are typically the first line of defense in the healthcare industry and have a greater exposure
to the disease. Based on the lack of access to good health care, minorities have a higher percentage
of comorbidities that lead to death once exposed to COVID-19. Most critically, there is a
significant disparity in access to the vaccine in low-income communities, which are largely
populated by people of color (Neumark, 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic highlights that people
of color continue to suffer inequitably (Hawkins, 2020).
Unemployment during the health pandemic continues to considerably impact people of
color. The current employment rate is 6.3% for whites and 9.8% for blacks (BLS, 2021). The new
Administration's focus on racial equity and social justice should create space for innovative
platforms that solve the unemployment problem (Lovelace, 2021).
Evidence-based practices underscore the value of using the Collective Impact Model to
implement employment-based initiatives for low-income individuals (Kania, 2011). HUD
performed numerous studies on various employment programs resulting in the development of
their Career Pathways Framework (4.1 promoting, n.d.). The framework recommends a best
practice approach to employment practices and relies on a program design that provides jobs,
education, and training at multiple entry points. The analysis shows that providing access to entry-
level employment is not enough; training and education should be provided throughout the
9
employment life cycle to create real income growth (4.1 promoting, n.d.; Miller, 2017). Partners
that offer education and training are a key component of the Career Pathways Framework.
Social Significance
Social Capital Theory, founded by Bourdieu, and The Strength of Weak Ties Theory,
developed by Granovetter, connect education, economics, and culture to social mobility. Like
neighborhood and employment status, culture and economics determine social capital value
(Häuberer, 2011). PCC's target population is individuals who live in low-income communities.
Low-income community residents lack social capital, and that lack of social capital creates a
continuous cycle of unemployment and poverty (Curley, 2010).
"In its broadest sense, social capital suggests that one's family, friends, and associates are
an important asset that can be utilized in a crisis, enjoyed, or be leveraged for material gain such
as a new job" (Russ, 2015, p. 1). Network research performed by Paul S. Adler and Seok-Woo
Kwon demonstrates that network ties help actors gain access to information about job opportunities
(Adler, 2002). The research, focused on the relationship between social capital and employment
in minority communities, has revealed that the presence of strong bonding capital within a
community and the lack of bridging capital outside the community creates barriers to career
success (Russ, 2015). "Bonding social capital" is defined as ties between families and friends or
"people like me" (Abbott, 2019). Bridging social capital is defined as ties that exist across
community members or "people different than me" (Abbott, 2019).
PCC Founder, Gina Merritt, has experienced the impact of leveraging social capital to
provide access to employment opportunities. A colleague was working with Georgetown
University’s returning citizen entrepreneurship certificate program to help place people in
employment. This colleague requested that Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, LLC (NREUV)
10
provide employment assistance based on its significant relationships in the District of Columbia.
The colleague referred Mr. Carey Preston to NREUV’s principal. Mr. Carey Preston taught
himself to draft in prison and, after being released, taught himself to use the computer aided design
tool for drafting. Mr. Preston joined a local program that he hoped would connect him to his dream
opportunity. Merritt facilitated an interview for Mr. Preston with Tom Gallas, Owner of Torti
Gallas Architects— an award-winning multi-million-dollar architectural firm with an international
presence. Torti Gallas interviewed and subsequently hired Mr. Preston. PCC's employment
services model implies that leveraging connections to jobs for capable people will help reduce
economic inequality by increasing the income of unemployed people who lack access to
employment connections. Providing case management, social services, and links to resources that
help support a career pathway can profoundly impact generations of families seeking to change
the trajectory of persistent unemployment (4.1 promoting, n.d.).
By linking low-income people who are reliable, trustworthy, and ambitious to job
opportunities, PCC can help low-income people earn more income and improve their ability to
take care of themselves and their families (Freedman, 2015). Testimonials from PCC employment
placements are included in Figure 4.
Framework, Logic Model, and Theory of Change
This Capstone Project draws on social capital theory, network theory (Strength of Weak
Ties), and the collective impact framework (Häuberer, 2011; Granovetter, 1974; and Kania, 2011).
Social Capital Theory
As theorized by Bourdieu and Putnam, social capital focuses on cultural and economic
capital, and the intersection that creates distinct levels of social capital (Grinstein-Weiss, 2013).
They enumerate that this single resource yields social benefits or a collective resource of trust that
11
helps solve a common problem (Grinstein-Weiss, 2013). Bourdieu's theory of practice analyzes
the impact of social capital on economic, social, and cultural inequality (Bourdieu, 1977).
Coleman's concept of social capital suggests that an individual's social and informational resources
received through social networks impact their ability to achieve employment goals (Chase-
Lansdale-2019).
Network Theory
Network Theory also supports the framework of the Capstone Project. Strong ties are close
family and friends, and weak ties are acquaintances (Stone, 2019). Granovetter, a social network
theorist, states that weak ties are more important than strong ties— weak ties are more likely to
provide new information and new opportunities (Granovetter, 1983). In low-income communities,
many individuals have strong ties, and those strong ties do not have access to employment
opportunities, as most of them are unemployed (Abbott, 2019). Those employed are afraid to use
their social capital for fear of reprisal, as the person referred may perform in a way that would not
damage the reference's reputation (Abbott, 2019).
Individuals are socially disadvantaged if they do not have bridges out of their strong tie
network–this lack of weak ties affects their ability to hear about jobs (Stone, 2019). In 1992,
Ronald Burt built upon that idea of weak ties, stating that they are the "structural hole" in a
network, and bridging this gap adds value to both sides of that bridge (Stone, 2019). In 2012,
Granovetter concluded that weak ties are of no value if they do not provide a bridge across strong
networks (Stone, 2019).
Collective Impact Framework
The concept of the collective impact, as introduced by authors John Kania and Mark
Kramer, is founded upon the principle that large scale social change requires a collaborative
12
approach that doesn't focus on a singular problem: each problem is related to several others and
this is why they are so difficult to solve (Kania, 2011). By assembling various businesses,
nonprofits, government organizations, and individual leaders and working together to address
different pieces of the larger problem, large-scale change can be achieved.
Connecting the Theories
The Capstone Project will leverage these theories by creating an intervention that bridges
social capital connections of employment candidates to entry-level employment positions on
government-sponsored projects. The Collective Impact Model also offers the opportunity to
connect employment candidates to social services, training, and education which addresses the
systemic issues that can prevent work readiness. Beyond initial job placement, the model provides
a career pathway that enables the employment candidate to earn greater wages over time.
Logic Model and Theory of Change
This Capstone Project’s Theory of Change aims to augment the hiring practices of
employers' who are contracted to perform services on public projects by connecting the employer
with ready workers from low-income communities. PCC invests in people, partners, and
technology as the main input of the intervention. PCC’s Workforce Leverage™ online application,
which brings together the results of this tri-party investment, is a simple way to connect employers
to individuals who are deemed "Ready-To-Work." PCC creates a network of partners that provide
direct access to the target population. Partners are asked to execute an MOU that commits them to
working collaboratively with PCC to coordinate a comprehensive approach to employment
readiness. This collaboration supplies access to hundreds of their program participants and
facilitates the growth of PCC's robust database. A larger database means the employer has an array
of choices. Employment candidates are informed of employment opportunities, pre-screened, and
13
contacted during the employment process while they wait to be hired by an employer. While
waiting, PCC communicates with employment candidates and provides encouragement and other
resources to keep them engaged. PCC interviews between 100 and 200 people for each public
project and loads their profiles into PCC's online application. The application allows the employer
to login to an internet-based portal to browse the many employment candidates with RTA. This
simple solution connects vetted employment candidates to employers who need to hire low-income
people but struggle to fulfill those requirements. This innovation can and will change hiring
practices.
Ongoing partnership cultivation provides access to social services, education, and training
which provides a holistic approach to initial employment and a path to a more substantial career.
Monitoring employer satisfaction and staying connected to employment candidates is important to
achieve mid-term and long-term results. Early community engagement ensures that the people who
are "Ready-To-Work" today know where the jobs are. For those who are not ready workers,
partners can provide social services to help them become ready. The process of pre-screening
candidates and facilitating contact with ready, low-income workers is critical to changing
subcontractors current hiring practices. The services offer by the WFL Collective™ are important
to creating a career pathway. The logic model and image depicting the theory of change is attached
as Figure 5 and 5.1, respectively.
III. Problems of Practice and Solution
The Solution
The solution, Project Community Capital® (PCC), acts as a social capital bridge to
employment opportunities for low-income residents whose services are delivered through the WFL
Collective™. The WFL Collective™, implemented utilizing a collective impact model,
14
subscribes to a set of principles that include a common agenda, shared measurements, mutually
reinforcing activities, continuous communication and organizational support. The common agenda
is connecting people to employment, assisting those who need help in becoming ready workers
and ensuring there is a career pathway available to all PCC Network Members.
The PCC platform consists of structured employment services through a collective impact
model that leverages social capital, social services, and technology. Through the PCC platform,
employers have access to a web-based application that includes a database of pre-screened "Ready-
To-Work" job candidates. The collective appoints a Job Success Coach to employment candidates
and Relationship Managers to employers to ensure connectivity and support within the PCC
system. For those individuals who are not "Ready-To-Work," PCC refers them to the social service
partners that participate in the WFL Collective™. Social Service Partners assign case managers
that provide employment readiness supports for employment candidates. The collective assists
these individuals in eventually becoming "Ready-To-Work." The WFL Collective™ includes
partnership development, community outreach and referrals, employment pre-screening, case
management, and a recognition program. PCC serves as the backbone of the WFL Collective™.
The Components of PCC System
Partnership Development. PCC reaches out to local nonprofit workforce development
agencies, social service agencies, and government agencies that serve low-income individuals to
request their partnership in the WFL Collective™. The WFL Collective™ is the structure within
which each organization operates to deliver comprehensive employment services to under-
resourced communities. These organizations are introduced to the collective impact model and
asked to join the movement. With these partnerships solidified, PCC can recruit "Ready-To-
Work" candidates, perform the required employment prescreening, and immediately connect them
15
to job opportunities. For those who are not "Ready-To-Work," these partners serve as a critical
component to providing case management and employment supports. PCC effectuates
participation in the WFL Collective™ by requesting that partners execute a Memorandum of
Understanding that outlines each partner's roles and responsibilities.
Community Outreach and Referrals. PCC hosts outreach sessions in low-income
communities to define the platform’s objectives, describe the process, and identify current
opportunities—bringing new information to a community’s network. Due to COVID-19, PCC is
performing outreach and recruiting through social media, and a local community person,
designated a Platform Ambassador, shares information about the platform within their social
network. Partner referrals also help in recruiting people to the PCC system. Many partners have
hundreds of participants in their programs. Access to these individuals for pre-screening purposes
helps to create a robust database of eligible employment candidates. Partner referrals and
individuals solicited from the community are contacted and asked to sign-up for PCC services.
Employment Prescreening. Prescreening begins with the potential employment candidate
filling out an intake form, attaching a resume, and uploading the information to the PCC online
server. Once the resume and form are uploaded, the employment candidate then receives an invite
to interview. An interview day is typically held in a community facility, however, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, interviews are now held via zoom. The interview is held on zoom. The
result of the pre-screening process is a database in which individuals are categorized as either
Category 1: "Ready-To-Work," Category 2: "Needs-Some-Assistance," or Category 3: "Needs-
Significant-Support." PCC provides a WiFi connection for those individuals who lack access to an
internet connection to ensure the target population is being reached effectively.
16
Workforce Leverage™ Online Application. If an individual is deemed "Ready-to-
Work," their profile information is uploaded to the Workforce Leverage™ application database.
Employers are provided access to the database and can view a list of employment candidates. The
database includes their contact information, their resume and photo, and a snapshot of their
strengths and skills.
Case Management and Employment Support. For individuals who are not "Ready-To-
Work," PCC refers them, along with an assessment of their social challenges, to the appropriate
WFL Collective™ member who can provide the targeted social services. Upon completing the
recommended social services, the individual returns to the PCC Platform and is re-screened to
determine readiness.
Through the Collective Impact model, a "Job Success Coach" is assigned to an employee,
who is successfully placed and a "Relationship Manager" is assigned to each employer. If there
are challenges in the workplace for an employee or employer, there is always someone to reach
out to that can help solve workplace challenges so that both may be successful.
Recognition Program. An annual Recognition Program will be held to honor partners,
employers, and individuals who have contributed to the success of the Workforce Leverage™
Collective. The WFL Collective™ will acknowledge residents, case managers, job developers, job
coaches, relationship managers, and employers for their contributions to the program each year.
The process of selecting people for this recognition will also yield an evaluation of the program,
its participants, and its partners that will demonstrate how far PCC has come and how far PCC
must go to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing extreme economic inequality.
Contributions to the Grand Challenge – Reducing Economic Inequality
17
PCC is a solution that addresses the grand challenge of "Reducing Extreme Economic
Inequality" by connecting individuals with minimal social capital to employment opportunities.
PCC, a bridge to social capital, provides access to jobs that low-income communities would
otherwise not have access to. As a function of a real estate development organization, PCC
leverages its best practices and relationships with developers, government agencies, general
contractors, and subcontractors to curate employment opportunities intended to benefit low-
income communities. PCC leverages its employment connections by working with organizations
that have program participants with the skills desired by employers on public projects. Individuals
who aren't already participants in the programs provided by WFL Collective’s™ members now
have access to a plethora of resources that allow them to achieve “Ready-To-Work” status. The
newfound social capital and access to new resources increase an individual's income, create a
career pathway, and improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Stakeholder Analysis
There are four primary users of the intervention and one primary beneficiary. The primary
users and stakeholders are: government agencies, nonprofit workforce development organizations,
social service concerns, and employers. Individuals who live in low-income and under-resourced
communities are the primary beneficiary. The non-employer primary users benefit from utilizing
the intervention because their ultimate mission is to improve the lives of their ultimate
beneficiaries, their constituents. The most critical stakeholders to this intervention are the local
community leaders, even though they are not a User of the intervention. Without sanctioning by
local trusted community leaders, there is a diminished path to connecting with community
residents that aren't part of existing employment systems. Government agencies and nonprofits’
missions are to create economic opportunities for residents of low-income communities. These
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stakeholders regularly seek partnerships and new ideas to help them meet their mission, so they
welcome the opportunity to participate in a platform that operates through the lens of a
collaborative alliance. Finally, general contractors and their subcontractors serve a core function
Figure 6.
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as a user. They are the holder of the valuable asset—employment. Detailed descriptions
of key stakeholder challenges are outlined in Figure 6 above.
Building Upon Existing Evidence
History, Policy, and Practice
Historically, employment opportunities were in abundance in major cities. Government
policy encouraged affordable housing development to occur in the suburbs, but only for white
people (Kimble, 2007). Many Black people were left behind in neighborhoods that lacked
investment (Kimble, 2007). Both local and federal governments implement economic
development policy that create job opportunities for low-income people on construction projects
with publicly invested dollars (HUD, n.d.). This policy has been included in everything from
public housing redevelopment projects to high-end luxury master-planned communities that
obtain tax-relief in exchange for jobs (Rathbone, 2017). Nonprofits are also funded by the
government and local philanthropists to help solve social challenges such as these. Both the
government and nonprofit organizations provide soft and hard skills training, which should help
meet government policy objectives. In process, this work appears pretty straightforward; in
practice, it is quite difficult for employers to connect with "Ready-To-Work" people. It is even
more difficult for "Ready-To-Work," low-income people to connect with employers (Gowan,
2011). These policies and their implementation do not yield the desired results, leaving low-
income individuals unemployed for long periods, and creating more distress for themselves, their
communities, and society overall (Gowan, 2011).
Public Discourse
The connections to jobs and how low-income communities learn about them are subject to
public discourse vocalized through workforce development agencies, economic development
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agencies, and the federal government. These stakeholders typically come together to attend
regional seminars on employment issues, to analyze the outcomes produced by the government's
investment in nonprofits, and to exchange opinions on the studies published by academics, all
trying to improve the lives of their fellow community members.
Social justice has been a core component of all public discourse since the summer of 2020.
PCC expects to add to that public discourse by focusing on using a collective impact model that
leverages technology, private industry resources, and government policy to deliver a solution
based on best practices. PCC will advocate to influence government policies that ensure
investments are made in workforce development, education, and training. PCC will need to create
consistent and ongoing messaging targeting politicians, government agencies, and think tanks in
an effort to impact both local and federal budgeting processes.
Local Context
In the local context, Project Community Capital® has performed several early-design
pilots. The platform continues to evolve through utilizing social innovation tools and human-
centered design. Learnings from the field have been robust. The Capstone Project has been
informed by stakeholders like Washington, D.C. based subcontractors who have affirmed their
desire to hire people that can maintain employment and their willingness to pay for this service.
The PCC intervention has also been informed by beneficiaries that show up as drop-ins for
interviews in Baltimore. PCC has learned that many individuals we serve connect with new
information using social media. For instance, after viewing a Facebook post about PCC conducting
interviews at a local school, one gentleman’s grandmother informed him of the opportunity, and
he arrived as a drop-in. The Baltimore drop-in interviewee validates the notion that low-income
21
residents just don’t know where the jobs are and when new information is introduced it can create
social capital connections.
The practice of job-seeking is implemented using one major personal asset, social capital,
which many residents of low-income communities lack (Fisher, 2020). Many organizations
attempting to solve the unemployment issue for low-income residents through their
demonstration programs, policy efforts and collaborations, pave the way for more solutions to be
created and tested. These types of organizations are now part of the WFL Collective™ in
Baltimore City, creating an opportunity to further highlight proof of concept and illuminating a
path to scale up. See Figure 7 for details on Baltimore City WFL Collective™ Members.
Existing Opportunities for Innovation
As noted, PCC is being implemented on a construction project at Port Covington in
Baltimore City, Maryland. Other buildings have been constructed at Port Covington and old hiring
practices have been implemented, leaving many jobs unfulfilled. The general contractor of a new
building project at Port Covington has engaged PCC to help meet its socio-economic goals. PCC
recently engaged the project’s owner to facilitate an adaptation to the owner’s existing compliance
software. The project owner was impressed with PCC's technology and referred PCC to another
general contractor working at Port Covington to propose PCC’s services. The Housing Authority
of Baltimore City (HABC) has agreed to support the Port Covington project by becoming a
member of the WFL Collective™. HABC will provide referrals and services that support the
residents of the affected community, which include HABC’s constituents. PCC believes there is
an opportunity to connect its innovation to other HABC programs and funding sources including
a competitive solution like Jobs Plus. Jobs Plus, an intervention of the Manpower Research
Demonstration Corporation, has received millions of dollars in support and has not achieved the
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intended outcomes (personal communication, B. Tessler, October 2019). Once PCC has created a
few wins for HABC constituents, it will propose a collaboration with its Jobs Plus program that
should facilitate a new funding source that would help to sustain PCC. These local innovation
opportunities can translate to national opportunities once success is achieved.
Project Community Capital® Alignment with Theory of Change Model
The Theory of Change is grounded in activities that are implemented to change the hiring
practices of employers and the job-seeking practices of employment candidates. Project
Community Capital's Theory of Change leverages social capital, a collective impact framework,
and technology to change hiring and job-seeking practices. The PCC innovation changes
employers' hiring practices by helping them connect with ready workers from low-income
communities through a simple-to-use online application. This intervention is designed to ensure
that "Ready-to-Work" individuals from low-income communities have the social capital they
need to access job opportunities. PCC informs unemployed people from low-income
communities about jobs, pre-screens candidates for work readiness, and makes accessing those
candidates simple for employers. These activities are critical to changing the current hiring
practices of subcontractors.
Employers will no longer need to spend time vetting people after construction starts, nor
will they need to hire from government agency referrals. Employers will simply login to the
Workforce Leverage™ application to fulfill their employment needs, making it easier to deliver
their construction projects at a lower cost and without significant employee turnover. Low-income
individual’s benefit by working for an extended period and employers will not need to expend
their valuable and limited time retraining multiple employees for the same job.
The platform’s activities that demonstrate the Theory of Change are dependent on the
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work of strong partners executing a collective impact approach. The investment in technology
brings all of those activities together to create the short term and long-term outcomes of the
Theory of Change. The intervention's desired outcomes are to bridge and build social capital for
low-income community residents and to utilize public projects as a launching pad, resulting in
immediate employment, a career pathway, and improved wage growth over time.
Employers appreciate the ability to effortlessly meet their goals and focus on building their
projects (C. Breedlove, personal communications, November 2019). By utilizing PCC,
employer’s will change their hiring practices, and low-income individuals will obtain stable
employment and earn more income. Ultimately, the low-income individual develops social
capital, and the employer meets their socio-economic goals.
PCC's Potential for Success
PCC has already been implemented on various construction projects with one underway.
Throughout the DSW program, the Capstone Project has been informed by subcontractors who
have confirmed their desire to hire people that are reliable, trustworthy, and ambition, and the
affirmation that contractors are willing to pay for this service (personal communication, C.
Breedlove, November 2019). It has also been informed by beneficiaries that sign up for services
because they learned about PCC on Instagram or from a friend who heard about PCC from
another friend. The evolution of the intervention based on the learnings from the DSW program
is the impetus for the development of the online application for that employers use to search for
“Ready-To-Work” individuals. Earlier iterations of PCC connected employers to employment
candidates by sending an email with a collection of resumes for the employer to choose from.
Based on the program’s prototyping exercise, PCC has launched the development of a phone
app to ensure it stays connected to its network members. PCC will also utilize the app to inform
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network members of employment opportunities and other resources that PCC can offer. The
redesigned solution offers better support for both users and beneficiaries and provides an easily
scalable platform using technology.
Using its technology and social capital connections, PCC has been able to market its
services to organizations that are interested in achieving better outcomes for their constituents.
PCC is performing a pilot in Atlanta and an implementation in Prince Georges County,
Maryland. PCC also has proposals under consideration by a local government agency and a
second general contractor in Baltimore City, and a grant application being evaluated by a
southern state government agency.
Government and nonprofit agencies can place their constituents in jobs that meet the
mission of both their policies and their funders. Employers can build their projects without
undertaking such a large responsibility of solving this social problem and can preserve their
economic reputation. Based on the early success, the redesigned solution that relies on
technology, meaningful, resourceful partnerships, and PCC’s ninety-five percent retention rate
on past implementations, PCC has demonstrated real potential. Through the social innovation
process, PCC can offer a more comprehensive, long-term, scalable solution that can change the
trajectory of the lives of reliable, trustworthy, and ambitious people who live in low-income
communities.
IV. Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components
PCC's structure is based on the initial formation of a collective group of local stakeholders
around a specific construction project (The WFL Collective™). Each project typically must
comply with established law that requires project employers to hire low-income individuals. The
WFL Collective™ includes community leaders, nonprofit workforce development agencies,
25
government agencies, and social service partners that provide services and refer their program
participants or community members to the PCC platform. The core process for an individual
employment candidate is outreach, pre-screening, connections to employers required.
Prototype
The prototype was developed to showcase the experience of the primary user beneficiary
and demonstrate proof of concept. The primary users are low-income residents referred to PCC by
partners or community members that sign up for employment services through social media or
individual referral. The steps in the process for a successful employment candidate are outlined in
Figure 8 below. Users that are pre-screened and determined to be “Ready-To-Work” are
connected with employers. Users that are not ready workers can follow two different paths in the
PCC process. The first is for the user who needs little to moderate help with soft skills like
coaching around essential interview skills, preparing for an interview, and understanding
the importance of answering the phone while job-seeking. For these users, PCC developed
educational video content to help the beneficiaries brush up on their job-seeking skills. The second
path is for the user who needs more significant help, and their next steps will be determined by
social service providers, who are members of the WFL Collective™, based on a referral by PCC.
Figure 8
Sign-Up
For PCC
Watch
Video
on
Process
Fill-out
Intake
Form
Schedule
Pre-
Screening
Interview
Pre-
Screening
Interview
with PCC
Receive
Notification
of
Readiness
Status
Contacted
by
Employer
Interview
with
Employer
Received
Job Offer
26
PCC's collective impact model is at work during this user experience, which is
demonstrated by partners referring constituents to the platform, assisting those who are not ready
to work, and helping to co-create improvements in the model through systems of open
communication. Processing participant readiness data through technological apparatuses and
allowing partners to share in viewing those data anchors the transparent and open relationship
between the partners and PCC. The beneficiary User full experience prototype is attached in Figure
9, Figure 9.1, and Figure 9.2.
Solution Landscape Analysis
Several organizations in the local environment and on a national level offer innovative
programs that provide employment services. Project Jumpstart, and the Housing Authority of
Baltimore, through an intervention created Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, have
implemented solutions that attempt to solve the unemployment problems in underserved
communities. Grads of Life, a national initiative developed by the US Ad Council, also offers an
innovative employment solution that targets people living in low-income communities.
Project Jumpstart is a 14-week construction training program that provides basic
construction skills training in addition to math, safety, and driver's education. The program also
offers a weekly stipend to program participants (Project Jumpstart, n.d.). At the end of the 14-
week program, Project Jumpstart attempts to place the graduate in a construction opportunity. The
program boasts of an 80% initial placement rate but does not state the program’s retention rates.
Manpower Development Research Corporation (MDRC), developer of the Jobs Plus
Program, seeks to place residents of under-resourced communities into employment opportunities.
The Jobs Plus program is implemented through Housing Authorities using an employment services
27
saturation approach by providing services to all working age adults on site at a Housing Authority
property (Riccio, 2017). Program participants are offered financial incentives that allow them to
retain new earnings versus having to use additional income to pay rent. Jobs Plus also provides
wrap-around social services that support individuals looking for work (Riccio, 2017).
Grads of Life (GOL), an initiative of the US Ad Council, attempts to solve the
unemployment challenges of young, low-income, minority people, disabled individuals, and
returning citizens—two of the three populations PCC intends to serve (Warc News, 2018). Grads
of Life, an employment and training consultancy, helps employers develop strategies that facilitate
the inclusive hiring of "Opportunity Talent” (Warc News, 2018). “Opportunity Talent,” according
to GOL, is defined as non-traditional talent, which includes people of color, people with
disabilities, and returning citizens.
Other innovative solutions include Gigs for Good and Cascades Engineering’s Welfare to
Work program. Gigs for Good is an online platform that connects college students from
underserved communities to short-term employment opportunities (Dewey, n.d.). Cascade
Engineering’s Welfare to Work program provides on-the-job training and has an onsite social
worker that helps employees work through challenges in the workplace (Getting Incentives, 2016).
Outlined in Figure 10 is a detailed solution landscape analysis.
PCC's unique technology and its ability to offer a full-service solution make it the best
alternative. PCC capitalizes on many of its competitors best-in-class program components
organizing them into a collective impact model framework to address the challenge of "Reducing
Extreme Income Inequality".
Project Community Capital® Implementation
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The PCC platform is administered by Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, LLC
(NREUV). NREUV is a social enterprise and community development organization that
specializes in affordable housing development. PCC is an outgrowth of the real estate
development work NREUV performs within the communities it serves. NREUV's principal, Gina
Merritt, is passionate not only about building affordable housing projects but helping communities
thrive, and out of this passion, PCC was founded.
As previously mentioned, the PCC platform is already in the implementation phase. The
introduction of the collective impact model has had a profound impact on the dissemination of the
intervention. As the PCC intervention is introduced and the conversations begin, illuminating the
common desire to solve the unemployment problem and the importance of achieving this common
goal by leveraging each organization's strengths has created an overwhelming reception. With the
introduction of this new framework, PCC has identified new pathways and obstacles that can affect
its implementation.
Clear Pathways and Intractable Obstacles
PCC's activities will be facilitated through several measures, including, actions by new
federal leadership, engagement in new collaborations, and focused interest in social justice by
private industry. Each of these change agents is looking to invest in and impact the social justice
movement which creates a clear pathway for implementation and sustainability.
New federal leadership has committed to invest in workforce development, social justice,
and race equity (Biden, 2020). The Collective's partners are already funded to directly serve many
of the people PCC is trying to help. Private industry investments in social justice initiatives through
nonprofits can facilitate access to grant funds to support the Collective's work. The nonprofit and
29
government partnerships come with access to hundreds and sometimes thousands of individuals
who need employment, providing the very resource PCC needs to generate fees for its services.
Identifying new funding sources, talented human capital, and committed partners are all
possible obstacles. Funds are currently being diverted from employment programs to health
programs due to the current public health crisis. Many nonprofit partners are losing their funding
due to the change in foundation economics; therefore, many organizations are chasing fewer
resources.
Human capital challenges will arise as the intervention scales. PCC will potentially
interview thousands of people across the country who are in need of employment. Significant
human resources will be necessary to interview and manage the processes required for success.
Interviewing thousands of people will not only create human capital challenges, but financial
capital challenges. To hire interviewers who can assess a high volume of employment candidates
significant funding needs to be sourced. An alternative pathway is underway to remove this
funding obstacle. PCC is working with the Housing Authority of Baltimore on the Port Covington
project. The goal is to produce successes for HABC residents that influence HABC to engage
PCC to screen all of its residents for inclusion in the Workforce Leverage™ database. HABC is
already excited about working with the WFL Collective™ expressing their delight in the data
sharing and process transparency PCC has agreed to provide.
The ongoing expense of technology upgrades will be critical for the sustainment of the
PCC platform. PCC will need to generate enough profits to be able to reinvest in technology.
Technology is required to track the data that is produced by the intervention and is the backbone
of this simple solution. PCC must monitor who is "Ready-To-Work," how many have been
screened, and how many people have been successfully placed in jobs. Staff will need to record
30
and track metrics needed for fidelity monitoring and progress reporting to the WFL Collective™
members as promised. Without technology, it is challenging to prove PCC’s efficacy.
Leadership Strategies
The tendency to be direct, assertive, responsible, and structured has resulted in PCC's
founder pursuing technical careers, becoming an entrepreneur, and creating a highly process-
oriented innovation. Using a racial equity lens, the trauma-informed employment solution is
designed out of compassion and empathy for those who deserve a fair shot. Access to employment
for communities of color through PCC provides people with the ability to better take care of
themselves and their families, thereby improving overall life outcomes. PCC's founder has
mastered leadership within three components of the seven C's, which rely on crucibles,
collaborations, conditions, and context (Tropman, 2010). The founder, Gina Merritt, must focus
on elevating the context, change, and competency dimensions from a managerial to leadership
orientation to sustain the PCC innovation (Tropman, 2010).
PCC's Financial Plan and Implementation Strategy
Project Community Capital's financing plan is structured using a fee-for-service model.
PCC charges a fee to employers with public projects that require compliance with socio-economic
goals. PCC hypothesizes that employers would rather pay a third-party to facilitate compliance
rather than risk financial penalties or reputational harm for not meeting the project's hiring goals.
PCC's initial implementation strategy relies on NREUV's existing infrastructure, including
staff, industry relationships, and financial resources. PCC recently hired a full-time employee to
manage the day-to-day operations of the platform. Existing real estate development staff manages
the PCC platform components part-time until PCC generates enough capital to hire additional full-
time staff.
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PCC's ongoing implementation strategy to create sustainability is based on its capacity to
leverage the success of prior implementations and industry social capital. Securing new
engagements is crucial in generating more fees to support the platform's activities. With each
implementation, PCC will add more members to the WFL Collective™ and invest more profits
into its technology.
PCC’s proposed two-year budget is $825,900. Major operating expenses include staff,
technology and employment candidate resources. Staff alone consumes a little more than 50% of
the platform’s budget. PCC expects to generate revenues of $892,000 from 5 projects over the
two-year period. NREUV has already invested $25,000 of its own capital in PCC technology and
human resources. The Port Covington project fees are already accounted for and the remaining
project contracts are in the process of being consummated. The ability to scale is critical to
generating the funding required for sustainability. See Figure 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, for
PCC's organizational budget, organizational chart, descriptions of roles and responsibilities, and
the flowchart and process diagram outlining PCC’s core activities.
Methods for Assessment of Impact
To measure the PCC intervention's efficacy, PCC will need to measure the quality of hire
for the employer, the job satisfaction of the employee and job retention rates for initial employment
placement. Longer term assessments will include job attainment rate post initial placement. PCC
will design a variety of tools that can assess the impact of the platform. The tools will be part of
a project specific assessment program delivered upon construction completion. Both qualitative
and quantitative data will be collected to allow for ongoing improvements of the intervention.
The employer and employee satisfaction surveys will be modeled after the MHA Lab
employment satisfaction surveys (Northern Illinois University, 2015). Both surveys will be
32
provided to users electronically using a google form, allowing for easy access to analytics. PCC
will measure retention rates and permanent placements by tracking initial placements utilizing its
proprietary online software and providing incentives for PCC members to continue to report their
subsequent employment information. These incentives would be developed by partners who have
valuable resources that people desire. PCC could offer gift cards, access to merchandise
contributed by private organizations or other items that benefit PCC Network Members. Measuring
both short-term and long-term impacts of the employment candidate user will demonstrate the
intervention is impacting its intended beneficiaries. Measuring employer satisfaction is critical to
demonstrating ongoing value for the paying user.
PCC will assess employers or subcontractors based on each project to determine whether
the PCC system produces quality hiring outcomes and job satisfaction for its users. For the
intervention to be sustainable, PCC needs to have its outcomes quantitatively and qualitatively
confirmed by its beneficiaries and fee-paying users. See Figure 15 and 15.1 for survey templates.
Stakeholder Involvement, Cultural Responsiveness, and Ethical Considerations
The population PCC addresses reside in both urban and suburban areas and is a mostly
low-income, Black population. PCC's collective impact model seeks partnerships with local
grassroots leaders and elevates those leaders as important voices in delivering the PCC
intervention. PCC also hires residents to work with its staff to serve as ambassadors. The role of
the ambassador is to disseminate information about the employment opportunities that PCC is
offering. PCC's partners provide ongoing feedback on its activities to ensure PCC is being
culturally responsive. PCC partners’ daily interaction with the client population helps inform the
platform team and ensures activities are dignified and appropriate. The WFL Collective™
members have been operating in the community for years and understand the population better
33
than PCC does. This integrated approach of stakeholder and resident involvement gives PCC an
advantage in the marketplace. Working with experienced nonprofits, government agencies,
respected community leaders, and individuals that live in the affected community brings a robust
level of community stakeholder engagement and cultural responsiveness that informs PCC's work.
PCC also addresses diversity by being inclusive of people of all types on the PCC team;
men, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people from all incomes. As noted above, PCC also
explicitly hires a member of the community to become part of our team. PCC demonstrates its
commitment to the communities it works with by following the same hiring ethos it encourages
others to follow. PCC hires someone from the affected community to work on the project team to
help deliver the innovation. PCC is innovative because it is the only platform that connects ready-
to-work individuals to employment opportunities by leveraging social capital and technology to
make tose connects. It is also innovative because it connects individuals who are not ready workers
to services through partners that support each other through a collective impact model that utilizes
technology to track progress in obtain social service that help them become “Ready-to-Work” PCC
also utilizes an interpreter in communities with a Latinx population to ensure that Latinx
individuals can connect with PCC employment opportunities.
Ethical considerations involve monitoring the methods in which PCC handles the
disclosure of personal information during the interview process. Mishandling personal information
could negatively impact the beneficiary during the hiring process. PCC also needs to consider the
impact of data breaches of its online platform and exposure or theft of beneficiary and employer
information by hackers' criminal activities. PCC's staff clearly comprehends the importance of
personal confidentiality, as documented in its operations handbook. Only with permission of the
beneficiary will they share personal information that supports the hiring process. PCC recently
34
added dual-factor authentication to its software platform to ensure the proper security is maintained
and data is protected.
Communication Products and Strategies
PCC communicates its services through several channels. PCC utilizes its social capital
relationships, its knowledge of communication channels in the real estate development and
construction industry, and social media to illuminate its platform. PCC’s strategy is based on
awareness, education, and influence.
PCC’s ad campaign strategy utilizes video vignettes from employers, employment
candidates, and collaborative partners to create awareness of the PCC platform. PCC's focuses on
educating employers on the importance of providing opportunity to low-income residents. PCC
markets the benefits this solution can produce for the employer, including aiding in the
preservation of their reputation and their financial bottom line. Social media informs employment
candidates, employers, and partners about who we serve and demonstrates our successes. PCC
ultimately uses the combination of awareness and education to influence the decisions of
individuals, organizations, and employers to participate in the platform. PCC's marketing
campaign strategy is detailed in Figure 16.
A Collection of Solutions
The WFL Collective™ is an aggregate of solutions. As noted in the solution landscape
analysis, the PCC solution leverages best practices and experiences of each member of the WFL
Collective™. By leveraging each partner's strength under a common agenda, PCC brings the best
of existing practices together, adding technology to promote a straightforward holistic solution to
solving the unemployment problem for low-income individuals that are targeted to work on public
projects. Also see a restated stakeholder analysis in Figure 17 – post PCC implementation.
35
V. Conclusions, Actions, and Implications
The project, under its collective impact model with its continuous feedback loop, is
expected to influence the innovation's future iterations. PCC's current customer and partner
courtships elucidate the need for new features that further improve the platform's outcomes.
PCC can change employment practices based on its ability to connect unemployed people
to immediate job opportunities. Working with social service organizations to obtain access to the
thousands of people they serve (the core resource of the innovation) and the pre-funded services
they already provide allows PCC to leverage a tremendous number of resources and experiences
to people who want to work. Employers who complain to government agencies about their inability
to find ready workers – will no longer use that as an excuse for their failure to meet their socio-
economic goals. The employers who use PCC become preferred vendors of developers and
government agencies. The recognition of their accomplishments by the real estate industry
highlights their commitment to meeting the policy objectives, thereby making the employers
attractive contractors.
Limitations include the lack of quality human capital and financial resources necessary to
screen a large volume of employment candidates which may limit PCC’s ability to scale.
Reputational risk needs to be managed when scaling the intervention, the inability to deliver
promised services due to lack of financial resources will impact the ability to source new clients.
The PCC innovation is already underway in three cities in the Mid-Atlantic. PCC has
weekly meetings with new partners in which it presents the model for implementation and
continues to gain traction. Some potential partners have been skittish to join the collective because
36
they are unwilling to change their business practices. PCC will work diligently to inform and co-
create its model to leverage the strength of partners who wish to make change and are willing to
consider new ways of implementing the intervention. PCC's prototype has further informed the
front end of the model. The prototype has created new opportunities to provide better services to
the beneficiaries, making them a focus of the next set of activities to be implemented by PCC.
PCC Action Plan
PCC will embark on a journey to solidify its relationship with its beneficiaries, grow its
platform by creating a following, and improve its reach and services through adding members that
can strengthen WFL Collective™. Generating new fee opportunities will be critical to staffing the
platform and investing in technology–both resources are compulsory for the innovation. Over the
next 24 months, PCC will endeavor to obtain new project-level implementations where economies
of scale can help generate funds to hire more people and add new features to its technology. PCC
is waiting to learn the results of a grant application applied for in partnership with Florida
Agricultural and Manufacturing University to deliver training, social services, and job
opportunities to Florida residents. This grant opportunity requires PCC to screen 1500 people from
low-income communities. If awarded, PCC will be well on its way to scaling its innovation.
PCC's current implementations offer a way to consistently work with partners to iterate the
model and improve outcomes. If access to employment and building social capital is the center of
the innovation, PCC ought to be able to build upon that model to help people outside of the
construction industry to obtain jobs and build social capital.
Leveraging PCC's existing infrastructure to serve the general population of lower-income
people seeking employment beyond the construction industry requires additional investment in
technology and people. PCC is implementing a pilot for an Agency-Level implementation (non-
37
construction project) in Atlanta. PCC is performing employer cultivation using social capital and
networking to identify employers with employment opportunities. On a parallel track, PCC is
screening the general population to place individuals in jobs of choice based on industry
preference. PCC is also working on a second pilot with an employer seeking entry-level workers
in the food distribution industry. Both pilots leverage PCC's existing infrastructure and social
capital connections.
Though the literature claims connecting people to entry-level employment does not sustain
income growth, the alternative leaves those entry-level employment positions unfilled and people
without work. Utilizing the collective impact model allows the PCC intervention to build upon
best practices to deliver a holistic approach in accessing employment, social services, and training
resources. As the literature shows, success related to various entry points along the employment
continuum has an increased likelihood of creating income growth for people from lower-income
neighborhoods. PCC’s detailed three-year action plan, including activities that further build upon
an evidence-based approach to a career pathway, is attached in Figure 18.
PCC will leverage its social capital, its network, and the WFL Collective™ to help
communities all over the country obtain employment and access the opportunities they rightfully
deserve.
38
Revised Prototype
39
References
Ayres, M. E. (2016). Social capital and career advancement for African Americans. Monthly
Labor Review.
Nicolaci da Costa, P. (2019, May 17). Black Unemployment Is Rising Again, And Trumpism
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46
Table 1
US Median Income By Race
Economic Report of the President, Years 2007 to 2019
All White Black Hispanic Asian
Year
2007 63,712 66,702 41,767 42,658 83,668
2008 61,521 64,804 39,936 40,978 76,859
2009 68,819 77,126 43,990 45,503 85,929
2010 67,869 77,634 43,485 44,280 84,748
2011 66,601 76,273 44,232 43,758 79,732
2012 66,575 76,455 43,338 43,602 83,286
2013 69,007 78,663 44,153 44,552 80,529
2014 69,062 79,453 44,724 43,150 87,265
2015 73,149 83,320 47,369 46,759 85,749
2016 74,271 83,834 50,427 48,969 93,998
2017 75,938 85,852 50,597 52,204 95,509
2018 78,646 89,448 53,105 53,614 92,784
2019 86,011 97,101 58,518 55,093 101,244
Notes:
RACE
1) Data collected from excel attachments to Economic Report of the President, Median money income and poverty
status of families and people, by race
Table 2
US Median Income by Percentage to All and Percentage to White Americans
Executive Report of the President Years , 2007 to 2017
All White Black Hispanic Asian
Year
2007 63,712 105% 66% 67% 131% (1)
63% 64% (2)
2008 61,521 105% 65% 67% 125%
62% 63%
2009 68,819 112% 64% 66% 125%
57% 59%
2010 67,869 114% 64% 65% 125%
56% 57%
2011 66,601 115% 66% 66% 120%
58% 57%
2012 66,575 115% 65% 65% 125%
57% 57%
2013 69,007 114% 64% 65% 117%
56% 57%
2014 69,062 115% 65% 62% 126%
56% 54%
2015 73,149 114% 65% 64% 117%
57% 56%
2016 74,271 113% 68% 66% 127%
60% 58%
2017 75,938 113% 67% 69% 126%
59% 61%
2018 78,646 114% 68% 68% 118%
59% 60%
2019 86,011 113% 68% 64% 118%
60% 64%
Notes:
1) Percentage of All Incomes
2) Income as a Percenaage of Incoem Earned By Whites
RACE
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® -
WORKFORCE LEVERAGE COLLECTIVE™
•Shared Vision
•Partnership
Common Agenda
•Collecting Data
•Measuring
Results
Shared
Measurements
•Different
Strengths
•Coordinated
Approach
Mutually Reinforcing
Activities
•Consistent
Communication
•Open
Communication
Continuous
Communication
•PCC Managing
Process
Organizational
Support
Collective Impact Model
Framework
Proprietary Work Product
FIGURE 1
WFL Collective™
Model
Design Features
Partnership
and Network
Development
Community
Outreach
Pre-
Employment
Screening
and
Workforce
Leverage™
Database
Case
Management
Employment
Supports
Awards and
Recognition
Proprietary Work Product
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® -
WORKFORCE LEVERAGE COLLECTIVE™
FIGURE 1
PCC
Prescreens
Referrals and
Provide Partner
Reporting
PCC Uploads
Category 1
Individuals to
to Workforce
Leverage™
Employer Hires
through
Workforce
Leverage™
online
application
PCC Refers
Category 3 and
sometimes
Category 2
back to Partner
for Services
Partner Refers
Employment
Candidates to
PCC
Job
Connections
Social Services
Education
Training
Data Sharing
Open
Communication
Proprietary Work Product
FIGURE 1
Project Community Capital® Mission
The mission of Project Community Capital® is to assist low-income communities across
the country gain access to employment opportunities, increase earning potential, and
build social capital.
PCC Vision
To be the one-stop-shop in connecting qualified residents from underserved communities
with employment opportunities and other needed resources.
PCC Goals
To connect people who are members of the PCC Platform to employment opportunities,
needed resources, and a career pathway. PCC intends to achieve this by changing
employers' hiring practices who work on public projects by connecting them to ready
workers, providing access to resources through a collective impact model, and making
this process simple by utilizing technology.
FIGURE 2
Platform Objectives
Short-Term
• To identify residents are who capable of obtaining and maintaining employment on
capital projects and immediately connect them to employment opportunities
• To leverage technology to manage and measure employment outcomes and
demographic data
• To assist PCC Network Members in accessing social services relevant to their social
challenges
• To assist Government Agency Workforce Development Staff in being more efficient in
their daily work practices
• To assist Employers in meeting their socio-economic goals, maintaining a positive
business reputation, and preserving their profit margins
Long-Term
• To assist PCC Network Members in achieving a career
• To assist PCC Network Members in building social capital
• To assist PCC Network Members in becoming members of the middle class
F IGURE 4
TESTIMONIALS FROM PCC BENEFICIARIES
Employment Candidate – Beacon Center
“Working on the Beacon Center project was a life changing experience, it made me feel
joined to the church, my sweat, tears and heart were in that building and now I worship
there”.
“It had been such a long time since I worked in construction, this experience helped me
learn some new trades to add that experience”.
“If people see me everyday people like me maybe they will think – PCC can work for me”.
Employment Candidate – Beacon Center
“It was just a blessing, you guys helping me. I stay in touch because you never know
when you are going to need help again”.
“Working with PCC was a wonderful experience – I had no problems with the Process.
The company I worked for was also a good contracting company”.
“I will pass the word on to my friends about PCC”.
Logic Model – Page 1
Activities
What We Do
Form a Collaborative
based on Collective
Impact Model
Execute an MOU with
Collaborative Partners
For Services and
Candidate Referrals
Cultivate Community,
Employment and
Workforce Development
Agency Relationships
(Partners)
Perform Place-Based
Outreach, Social Media
to Connect with
Candidates Outside of
Partners
Connect with Local
Leaders to Gain Support
and Connections to
Employment Candidates
Obtain Referrals from
Collaborative Partners
Who We
Reach
Low-Income Residents
Employers with Socio-
Economic Goals for
Hiring
Non-Profit Workforce
Development Agencies
Government Agencies
that Serve low-income
residents
Social Service Providers
that Serve Low-Income
Residents
Outcomes
Short Term
Results
Unemployed People will
Increase Their Income
Employers will Hire
"Ready-To-Work"
Individuals
Low-Income People who
are not "Ready-To-Work"
will Obtain Social Service
Support
Intermediate
Results
Individuals from Low-
Income Communities will
Gain Additional Job Skills
Individuals will
Demonstrate Tenure in
Employment
Individuals who Need
Support will be
Connected to Social
Services
Individuals will Gain
Some Social Capital
Employer Limits Financial
Exposure For Non-
Compliance
Employer will engage
PCC to assist in hiring of
all of their Entry Level
Job Opportunities on
Public Projects
Long Term
Results
Low-Income Individuals
will Build and/or Expand
their Social Capital
Individuals will Obtain
and Maintain Better
Paying Employment
Individuals will Have
Identified a Pathway to
a Career
Individuals Leverage
Their Social Capital to
Obtain Greater
Opportunities to Improve
Their Lives
Employer Receives
Accolades and Prestige
FIGURE 5
Input
What We
Invest
People
Technology
Trusted Community
Leaders
Non-Profit Social Service
Partners
Government Agencies
Workforce Development
Organizations
Logic Model – Page 2
Activities
What We Do
Pre-Screen Employment
Candidates
Perform Candidate
Assessments
Perform Referrals to
Collaborative Partners
For Individuals Who Are
Not “Ready-To-Work”
Upload “Ready-To-Work”
Candidates into
Workforce Leverage™
Database
Give Employers Access
to Database To Select
People To Interview
Host Interview For
Employer with
Employment Candidate
What We Do
Monitor Employment
Candidate
Monitor Employer
Monitor Individuals
Referred to Social
Services
Rescreen Individuals
Referred Back to PCC By
Collaborative Members
Survey Employers,
Employment Candidate
and Collaborative
Partners
Add New Partners That
Perform Career
Development Services
and Provide
Education/Training
Outcomes
Short Term
Results
Intermediate
Results
Long Term
Results
FIGURE 5
Input
What We
Invest
Employers
Time
Capital
Soft Skills/Hard Skills Skills
Training
Soft Skills/Social
Services/Case Management
Resume Building, Career Counseling,
Technology Access
Soft Skills/Social
Services/Case Management
Soft Skills/Social Services
FIGURE 7
Soft Skills/Hard Skills Training/Social
Services/Case Management
PERSONAS (0)
AWARE JOIN USE COMMUNICATON JOB PLACEMENT HIRED NOT HIRED FOLLOW-UP
IDENTIFY JOB RESOURCES LEARN ABOUT PCC
SIGN-UP FOR PCC SERVICES ATTEND VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING
FiLL OUT INTAKE FORM SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW TIME PRE-SCREENING INTERVIEW ONLINE NOTIFIED OF STATUS EMPLOYER CONTACT EMPLOYER INTERVIEWS EMPLOYER HIRES WORK EVERY DAY INTERNAL COUNSELING REFER TO SOCIAL SERVICES COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS WHO ARE "READY-TO-WORK"" COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS WHO ARE NOT "READY-TO-WORK" COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS WHO WERE TERMINATED, LAID-OFF, OR RESIGNS
Locate a Good Source of Job Opportunities of Which
They are Qualified
Connecting With Friends, Family And Looking For A
Way To Connect With Social Networks To Find a Job
To Obtain Assistance With The Job
Search
To Learn About the PCC process To Provide Information That Will Facilitate
Obtaining A Job
To Provide a Preferred Time to Interview To Demonstrate Their Capabilities. To Understand What Others Think of
Their Capabilities
To Set-Up an Interview To Determine Qualifications for
Employment
To Accept Job with Career Path
Potential
To Demonstrate They Have
RTA (Reliability,
Trustworthiness and
Ambition)
To Get Assistance So They Can
Get a Job
To Get Support so They Can Get a
Job
To Determine Employee Satisfaction To Determine if Customer Received Support and are Ready to Be Re-Screened To Determine Best Ways To Assist Customer on the Next Phase of Their Journey
Mr. Karl Jackson Has Lots of Contacts
Has Good Work Experience
Has Work Experience with Tenure
Does Not Know Where the Jobs Are
Age - 25 to 40
He's Wondering How Long it will
Take to Get a Job Because He Has
Bills He Needs to Pay
Watches the Video Online and
Clearly Understand the Process
Fills Out Intake Form on Google Form and
wonders when He will be interviewed
Apprehensive About What the Interview Will Be
Like
Utilizes Smart Phone to Fill out Form
Demonstrates Confidence in Interview Excited About the Possibilities
Impatient About Waiting For
Employer To Call
Answers Phone and Sets
Interview Date
Demonstrates Reliability,
Trustworthiness and Ambition To
Employer
Demonstrates Reliability,
Trustworthiness and Ambition To
Employer
Experiences Relief When
Receives Job Offer
Needs Some Clothing Support,
Slightly Embarrassed
Slightly Nervous About Whether
His Employer Will Give Him the
Opportunity to Truly Show What
he Can Do
Excited to Have The
Opportunity to Work Every
Day and To Take Care of
Himself and His Family
1. Call Friends And Family
2. Check Internet and Smart Phone
1. Learn of PCC on Social Media Or,
2. Referred By Social Services Partner Or,
3. Pre-COVID - Meet in the Community Or,
4. Referred By Community Member
1. Fill Out PCC Connect Form 1. Registers Online For Video
2. Watches Video on the Selected
Date
1. Contacted by PCC Team
2. Sent PCC In-Take Form
3. Form Filled Out and Submitted to PCC
1. Contacted by PCC Team
2. Interview Link sent for Selection of Preferred
Date and Time
3. Wifi Connection Provided if Required
1. Employment Candidate is Prescreened 1. Employment Candidate Gets
Notification of Prescreening "Ready-
To-Work" Status
1. Employer Contact is made
2. Interview is set
3. PCC Offers to Facilitate
Interview
1. PCC Hosts Interview
2. Employee is Interviewed By
Employee
1. Employment Candidate is
Contacted and Notified of Job
Offer
1. Employment Candidate
Reports To Work Every Day
Until Subcontract Is
Complete
1. Send Link To Job Satisfaction Survey
2. Call To Follow-Up With Survey
3. Send Thank You Note
Phone
Smartphone
Friends
Online ad
Family
Facebook
Twitter Instagram
Linkedin
Smartphone Smartphone Webform Career portal Interview Smartphone Phone Interview Achievement Workplace Employee survey
Smartphone
Smartphone
Doesn't Know Where to Find Job Friends and Family Don't Know Where the Jobs are Doesn't like to wait
Doesn't respond to phone calls
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't
Know Where He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't
Know Where He is In The Process
Needs Clothing For Work
Needs Work Boots
May Not Complete Survey
Market In Community Facilities on Bulletin Boards
Market To Friends On Social Media
Market To Friends and Family - Market To The
Customers Social Network - Friends And Family Use
Social Media
Develop App To Communicate with
him more regularly
Develop app that has milestone
indicator so they know where they
are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop App That Has Milestone
Indicator so They Know Where They
Are In the Process
Host a Clothing Pop-Up or
Mobile Clothing Shop to provide
2 weeks Worth of Clothes for
Work
Create a Reimbursement
Program for Work Wear
Solicit Sponsors For Program and
Pop-Up
Provide Incentive for Completing Survey
Put Survey In Newly Developed App
Prepare To Assist Him With Getting On A Career Pathway As The Next Level of Social
Capital Connection
Mr. Sir Edward Ferguson Has Many Years of Work Experience
Has Limited Number of Employment Experiences
One or two jobs - 20 years of service
Low Wage for the Number of Years of Experience
Age - 40 to 50
He is Ready for a Change of
Environment and Would like to Earn
More Income
Struggles to Watch Video
Calls PCC to Discuss Challenges
Needs to be trained on how to
access Video
He hasn't interviewed in many years
Needs to polish up on interview
He receives phone calls from PCC but doesn't
answer
He receives text messages and responds right
away
He looks down most of time during the interview
demonstrating lack of confidence
He uses improper vocabulary
He Knows What His Challenges are
He States He Won't Interview and
Demonstrate a Lack Of Confidence
in an Interview
He Says I Make Him Nervous
Answers The Phone - Now that
he recognizes PCC number
He Interviews Well Post Counseling
He Is Still Resistant To Using Technology Even Though He Has Access To It
1. Ask Friends And Family For Job Referrals
2. Looks For Traditional Means - Bulletin Boards in
Community
1. Learn of PCC from Family who hear about PCC on
Social Media
1. Fill Out PCC Connect Form 1. Registers To Watch Video
2. Calls PCC Team For Help
3. PCC Team Walks Him Through
How TO Access
4. PCC Team has to walk him
through process - still struggling to
use tech
1. Contacted by PCC Team
2. Sent PCC In-Take Form
3. Form Filled Out and Submitted to PCC
1. Contacted by PCC Team.
2. Interview Link Sent for selection of preferred
date and time.
3. Wifi Connection Provided
4. Due to technology challenges - Interview is
scheduled by phone.
1. Employment Candidate is Prescreened 1. Employment Candidate is Informed
of Their "Needs-Some-Support"
Status
1. Employment Candidate is
Counseled via Zoom
2. Employment Candidate is
Notified of New Status.
1. Call To Follow-Up To Schedule Internal Counseling Session To Highlight Areas For
Improvement
2. Employment Candidate Receives Employment Counseling
Friends
Family
Friends
Family
Smartphone Webform Career portal Interview
Zoom
Smartphone Phone Training
Zoom
Smartphone
Doesn't Know Where To Find Job
Doesn't Use Social Media Often
Friends and Family Don't Know Where the Jobs are Not Very Tech Savvy, Struggles to Fill
Out Form
Not Very Tech Savvy, Struggles to
Watch Video About Process
Not Very Tech Savvy, Struggles to Fill out Form Doesn't Answer Phone For Numbers He does Not
Recognize
Not Very Tech Savvy - Needs Help Filling Out
Google Form
Not Very Tech Savvy, Struggles to Put Zoom App
on Phone
Not Using Newly Developed App
Advertise PCC at Traditional Venues like Bus Stops,
Train Stations, Grocery Stores
Find Out Where He Gets News or Information From, If
Always Other People - Find Out How They Get Their
Info in Order to Reach Wider Audience
Allow Information to be Taken by
Phone
Provide Financial Incentive to Use
Smart Phone and to Obtain Training
from Device
Create Training Video to
Demonstrate How to Use Forms via
Smart Phone
Develop App - Use Facebook Login
to Facilitate Connection to New
Phone with New Phone Number
App Has to be Simple to Use for
People who are not tech savvy
App Needs to Allow for Video
Registration - or Video on Demand
App Needs to Provide Access to
Video Content - Video Should Play
in App So Employment Candidate
Doesn't Have to Go to Separate
Website to View
Due Tutorial Video to Show People How to Fill Out
All Forms
Create App to Make it Simple
Allow Form to be Printed, Filled in and Emailed or
Photographed and Uploaded
Develop App to Communicate With and Let Him
Know Employers are Now Online Looking at His
Resume - So Reminders So That He Answer Phone
Number He Doesn't Know
Develop Video Content - with Tips and Tricks to
Get Through the Employment Process - like
Reminders to Answer Phone
Simply Interview Process Through App so form is
not required.
Due Tutorial Video to Show People How To
Download Zoom
Develop Video Content - With Tips and Tricks to
Get Through the Employment Process - Like
Demonstrating Confidence in An Interview -
Looking Employer in The Eye, Brushing Up on
Vocabulary
App Could Include a Dictionary with Definitions of
Common Words Used In An Interview
Provide Incentive To Change
Provide Rewards For Accomplishing Goals
Reward For Changing Behaviors And Re-screening
Provide Smart Phone Training - on Video - In App
Mr. Robert Johnson Has Some Work Experience
Has Challenges with Substance Abuse
Lack of Stable Housing
Doesn't Use Form to sign-up
Doesn't respond to phone calls
Calls about Next Steps
Doesn't Have Access to Internet
Contacts PCC with challenges utilizing system
Is very articulate, jovial and confident
Waiting to hear about opportunity to interview Shows up to interview inebriated
Is very sad about has living conditions and
substance abuse challenges.
Knows he has challenges but
does not know how to address
Feels Hopeless, Needs To Be Coached To Get Services Needed
1. Asks Friends For Job Referral 1. Friends Tell Him About PCC 1. He Contacts PCC
2. PCC Helps Him Fills Out Form
Over Phone.
1. PCC Walks Through The Process
on Phone
1. PCC Walks Through The Process on Phone
2. PCC fills our form on behalf of employment
candidate
1. Contacted by PCC Team.
2. Interview Schedule by Phone
1. Employment Candidate is Prescreened 1. Employment Candidate is Informed
of Their "Needs-Significant-Support"
Status
2. Employment Candidate is Referred
to Partners that Support Significant
Social Challenges
1. Contact To Follow-Up On Social Services
Friends Friends Phone Phone Phone
Webform
Interview
Phone
Interview
Zoom
Phone Phone
Social Challenges Prevent Regular Access To
Information Channels
Not In Touch With Family
Friends Are Employed At Low-Wage Jobs and Do Not
Refer him
Doesn't Have a Cell Phone With Data
Cell Phone Number Changes Often
Doesn't Have a Cell Phone with Data
Cell Phone Number Changes Often
Even With Access To Internet - Does
Not Watch Video
Does Not answer phone Does Not Have Internet Ready Phone so Wifi-Link
Doesn't Help
Distraught About Current Living Conditions
Doesn't Know How to Manage
Does Not Answer Phone, Must Text Upset That He Has Problems and
Cannot Interview or Hold a Job
Phone Number Changed
Not Following Through with Social Services
Challenged with Staying on Track and Staying in Touch.
Phone is Not Regularly Connected Due to Limited Funds Which Creates Limited
Connections to The PCC System
Advertise PCC at Traditional Venues like Bus Stops,
Train Stations, Grocery Stores
Purchase a Small Bus Cloaked in PCC Advertisements
and Drive Around Neighborhoods - Also Provide
Services From That Bus
Find Out Where He Gets News or Information From,
Who/What Is His Network - Target Them For
Advertising To Get Message To Him
Provide Wifi Access Through Text
Message
Send Link to PCC Connect Form
with Text Message
Develop App - Use facebook Login to
Facilitate Connection to New Phone
with New Phone Number
Staff Needs to have Dashboard to
Complete Profiles on Behalf of
Employment Candidate For Users
That Don't Have Access to App/Web
Send Process Steps Through Text
Message
Develop App To Communicate With Him More
Regularly
Refer to Partner for Internet Resources - Ensure
Partnerships will allow for Use of
Computers/Technology to support PCC Network
Members
Provide Financial Incentives To Support
Completion of Social Services.
Provide a Way To Have Ongoing Communication
Through Text Messaging For Support - Probably
Through Partnerships
Use Texting App to communicate
- or
Perhaps Smartphone App Being
Developed Can Also Message Using
SMS
Send Regular Encouraging SMS
Messages -
Need to determine Whether This
Would be Annoying -
Perhaps Tie Incentives to Text
Responses
Use Texting App to
communicate
- or
Perhaps Smartphone App Being
Developed Can Also Message
Using SMS
Send regular encouraging SMS
Messages -
Need to determine Whether This
Would be Annoying -
Perhaps Tie Incentives to Text
Responses
Develop App - Use Facebook Login to Facilitate Connection to New Phone and New Phone
Number
Show Progress of Social Services in App for Those Who Have Smartphone - and Provide
Rewards That Accumulate and Are Paid Once Social Services are Complete
Text Progress of Social Services - Will Require a Custom System - More Labor Intensive
Provide Incentive To Change
Provide Rewards For Accomplishing Completion of Services
Reward For Changing Behaviors and Re-screening
Mr. Gerald Williams Has Lots of Contacts
Has Good Work Experience
Has Work Experience with Tenure
Does Not Know Where the Jobs Are
Age - 25 to 40
He's Wondering How Long it will
Take to Get a Job Because He Has
Bills He Needs to Pay
Watches the Video Online and
Clearly Understand the Process
Fills Out Intake Form on Google Form and
wonders when He will be interviewed
Apprehensive About What the Interview Will Be
Like
Utilizes Smart Phone to Fill out Form
Demonstrates Confidence in Interview Excited About the Possibilities
Impatient About Waiting For
Employer To Call
Answers Phone and Sets
Interview Date
Demonstrates Reliability,
Trustworthiness and Ambition To
Employer
Experiences Relief When
Receives Job Offer
Needs Some Clothing Support,
Slightly Embarrassed
Slightly Nervous About Whether
His Employer Will Give Him the
Opportunity to Truly Show What
he Can Do
Excited to Have The
Opportunity to Work Every
Day and To Take Care of
Himself and His Family
He has challenges in the workplace with supervisor or,
He is laid off due to business challenges or
He does not like the job
He is so unhappy to be unemployed again
1. Call Friends And Family
2. Check Internet and Smart Phone
1. Learn of PCC on Social Media Or,
2. Referred By Social Services Partner Or,
3. Pre-COVID - Meet in the Community Or,
4. Referred By Community Member
1. Employment Candidate is Prescreened 1. Employment Candidate Gets
Notification of Prescreening "Ready-
To-Work" Status
1. Employer Contact is made
2. Interview is set
3. PCC Offers to Facilitate
Interview
1. PCC Hosts Interview
2. Employee is Interviewed By
Employee
1. Employment Candidate is
Contacted and Notified of Job
Offer
1. Employment Candidate
Reports To Work Every Day
Until Subcontract Is
Complete
1. Send Link To Job Satisfaction Survey
2. Call To Follow-Up With Survey
3. Send Thank You Note
1. Perform Interview to learn about work experience.
2. Determine whether social services will benefit customer.
3. Determine whether education.
4. Determine whether training will benefit customer.
Phone
Smartphone
Friends
Online ad
Other
Facebook
Twitter Instagram
Linkedin
Smartphone Smartphone Webform Career portal Interview Smartphone Phone Interview Achievement Workplace Employee survey
Smartphone
Smartphone
Interview
Social Services
Education
Training
Doesn't Know Where to Find Job Friends and Family Don't Know Where the Jobs are Doesn't like to wait
Doesn't respond to phone calls
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't
Know Where He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't Know Where
He is In The Process
Wants to See Progress and Doesn't
Know Where He is In The Process
Needs Clothing For Work
Needs Work Boots
May Not Complete Survey May get discouraged and decide this service doesn't work for them.
Market In Community Facilities on Bulletin Boards
Market To Friends On Social Media
Market To Friends and Family - Market To The
Customers Social Network - Friends And Family Use
Social Media
Develop App To Communicate with
him more regularly
Develop app that has milestone
indicator so they know where they
are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop app that has milestone indicator so they
know where they are in the process
Develop App That Has Milestone
Indicator so They Know Where They
Are In the Process
Host a Clothing Pop-Up or
Mobile Clothing Shop to provide
2 weeks Worth of Clothes for
Work
Create a Reimbursement
Program for Work Wear
Solicit Sponsors For Program and
Pop-Up
Provide Incentive for Completing Survey
Put Survey In Newly Developed App
1. Communicate Through App
2. Send encouraging messages
3. Connect to needed resources through app, while the customer goes through a process of
explaining what happened, getting re-assessed and being provided with more resources
4. Bring on new partners to provide more resources so PCC doesn't lose this potential
customer
Project Community Capital
apprehension neutral neutral neutral neutral
anticipation
fear
apprehension
neutral anticipation
joy ecstasy
ecstasy ecstasy ecstasy serenity neutral
apprehension neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral sadness sadness sadness sadness sadness acceptance acceptance acceptance interest neutral
apprehension neutral neutral neutral neutral neutral loathing anger anger sadness sadness sadness sadness sadness sadness acceptance neutral
apprehension neutral neutral neutral neutral anticipation
anxiety
apprehension
neutral
anticipation
joy serenity neutral neutral serenity neutral disgust
User goals
Ready-To-Work
Process
Process and
channels
Experience
Problems
Ideas / Opportunities
Needs-Some-
Support
Process
Process and
channels
Experience
Problems
Ideas/ Opportunities
Needs-Significant-
Support
Process
Process and
channels
Experience
Problems
Ideas/ Opportunities
Ready-To-Work -
Terminated, Laid Off,
Resigns
Process
Process and
channels
Experience
Problems
Ideas/Opportunities
PROJECT: Project Community Capital MAP: PCC Employment Candidate
FIGURE 9
Revised March 18, 2021 1
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® PROTOTYPE
Project Community Capital®(PCC) is a bridge to social capital. PCC performs outreach,
pre-employment screening interviews and provides connections to jobs for "Ready-To-
Work" individuals through a web-based application (Workforce Leverage™) utilized by
employers.
According to Bourdieu, a founding theorist of Social Capital Theory, there are three basic
types of capital; economic, cultural and social (Bourdieu, 1977).
DESCRIPTION OF INNOVATION
1) Partnership and Network Development
2) Community Outreach
3) Pre-screening and Workforce Leverage Database Development
4) Case Management
5) Recognition Program
Partnership and Network Development comprises connecting with local workforce
development organizations, social service partners, and government agencies to form the
Workforce Leverage™ Collective (WFL Collective™). This alliance, formed by PCC, works
to deliver holistic employments services to under-resourced communities based on a
collective impact model. The WFL Collective's ultimate goal is to place people in
employment opportunities generated by construction projects with public investment.
See Exhibit 1 for WFL Collective Model.
Capital That Can
Be Converted
Immediately and
Directly into
Money
Economic Capital
Capital Tied to the
Educational
System and All of
TheHolders of this
Capital at Some
Point convert it
into Economic
Capital, Generally
Grounded in
Knowledge
Cultural Capital
Capital Based on
Relationships and
Those Relatinships
Are Built On Trust
Social Capital
FIGURE 9.1
Revised March 18, 2021 2
Community Outreach starts with leveraging the existing social capital within the affected
community. PCC starts its community outreach and engagement process by reaching out
to trusted community leaders and utilizing their social capital as a bridge to connect with
residents. Outreach meetings, now virtual and pre-screening interviews held online. Once
registered with PCC, one is designated as a PCC Network Member. Members are provided
with a WiFi hotspot as necessary to access our platform. Once people are screened, the
results are placed into an online system: the Project Community Capital Portal. Workforce
development partners that are part of PCCWC also refer individuals to the PCC platform
to be screened for employment.
An individual is Pre-screened to determine their work readiness. An individual that enters
the PCC system is designated a PCC Network Member. The "Ready-To-Work" individuals
are exported from the PCC Portal into the employer-facing Workforce Leverage™
database. Employers register with Workforce Leverage™ to obtain access to "Ready-To-
Work" candidates. Those individuals who "Need-Some-Support" receive soft skills
counseling from the PCC team. This status may mean an individual needs professional
clothing or needs practice showing confidence. The intervention also supports those who
are "Need-Significant-Support." These individuals are referred to PCCWC social service
partners who will create a Case Management plan to help them get ready. Each social
services partner uses their own proven case management model to work with PCC
Network Members. An annual Recognition Program will be held to honor partners,
employers, Network Members, and individuals who have contributed to the success of
the WFL Collective™.
DESCRIPTION OF CUSTOMER PROCESS
The customer process lies within 3 of the Innovation’s steps. The steps in the process for
the customer are outlined below:
READY TO WORK CANDIDATES
1) Learn About PCC
2) Sign-Up For PCC Services
3) Attend Virtual Community Meeting
4) Fill Out Intake Form
5) Schedule an Interview
6) Pre-Screening Interview
7) Candidate Receives Notification of Interview Status
a. Ready-To-Work Status
i. Employer Contacts Employment Candidate
ii. Employer Interviews Candidate
iii. Employer Hires Candidate
b. Needs Some Support
Revised March 18, 2021 3
i. Employment Candidate receives counseling – could include
polishing up skills for interview, a plan to improve articulation of
ideas
ii. Employment Candidate is re-interviewed and notified of new
status
c. Needs Social Services
i. Candidate is referred to Social Services Partners
ii. Candidate receives Services
iii. Candidate returns to PCC for Rescreening
iv. Employment Candidate is re-interviewed and notified of new
status
PCC NETWORK MEMBERS – RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
PCC will demonstrate how much it cares about its beneficiaries to create the impact it
intends. PCC will demonstrate its empathy by promptly and consistently following-up.
Encouragement of PCC Network members will become the essence of our work.
Providing additional employment supports, training and education opportunities, in
coordination with social service partners will enhance the User experience.
Sign-Up For
PCC
Watch Video
on Process
Fill-out Intake
Form
Schedule
Prescreening
Interview
Pre-Screening
Interview
with PCC
Receive
Notification of
Readiness
Status
Contacted by
Employer
Interview
with
Employer
Received Job
Offer
FIGURE 9.2
FIGURE 10
SOLUTION LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS
Human Centered YES YES YES YES YES YES
Pre-screening For Work
Readiness
YES YES
Provides Training YES YES YES YES YES
Provide Social Services YES Minimal YES
Provides Case
Management/Social Worker
YES YES YES
Collaborates with Best In Class
Partners to Provide Training,
Social Services and Case
Management
YES YES
Access to Technology To
Provide Employer Access to
YES YES
Phone App To Connect with
Beneficiaries
YES
Financial Incentives For
Participation
YES YES
Work Clothing Support YES
Online Educational Content For
Participants
YES
Recognition of Valued Partners,
People, Projects, Clients
YES
REVENUES AMOUNT YEAR 1 YEAR 2
NREUV Investment 25,000 25,000
Hampton Park 90,000 90,000
Port Covington Fees 547,000 328,200 218,800
Cascade Park Apartments 80,000 24,000 56,000
DC MORCA 25,000 25,000
FAMU 150,000 150,000
TOTAL 917,000 492,200 424,800
EXPENSES AMOUNT YEAR 1 YEAR 2 NOTES
Personnel Costs
NREUV - Executive/Relationship Manager 72,000 36,000 36,000 15% of Founder's time, No benefits
NREUV - Platform Manager/Relationship Manager 165,000 82,500 82,500 Employee
NREUV - Assistant Platform Coordinator 30,000 15,000 15,000 1099 Hire-Half Time
NREUV - Platform Ambassador 50,000 25,000 25,000 1099 Hire-Part Time For 2021
NREUV - Community Hires- Support Staff 31,200 15,600 15,600 2 community resident hires-employees
NREUV - Social Media Content Specialist 38,400 19,200 19,200 Current 1099
NREUV - Benefits 49,500 24,750 24,750 Only on new employees
SUB TOTAL PERSONNEL 436,100 218,050 218,050
Operations Expenses
PCC Portal-Customized 75,000 75,000 Upgrades to system, creation of app.
Zoom Consultant 40,000 20,000 20,000
Facilities for Outreach Meetings - - - Now Virtual/Will add back post COVID
Facilities for Interviews - - - Now Virtual/Will add back post COVID
Meals - - - Not needed due to COVID
Clothing Pop-Ups 20,000 10,000 10,000 Partner with provider of clothing, each qrtr
Financial Incentives 20,000 10,000 10,000 Tatto Removal, Parking Tickets, Boots, Etc.
Office Supplies, Zoom, Demio/Wifi 5,000 2,500 2,500 Includes subscriptions to online tools
Postage and Delivery 1,000 500 500 Estimate based on snail mail expenses
Printing, Reproduction 5,000 2,500 2,500 Flyers, Meeting Handouts and Wi-Fi
Professional Fees-Guest Speakers 10,000 5,000
5,000
2 guest speakers per qrtr Agency, 1 per
project, $2500 per Spkr
Computers 9,000 4,500 4,500 New computers for additional team members
Office Space 49,800 24,900
24,900
Although Office isn't being used - rent is
being paid
Miscellaneous Program Expenses 5,000 2,500 2,500 Unforseen Expenses
SUB TOTAL OPERATIONS 239,800 157,400 82,400
Technology Expenses
PCC Portal Online App 60,000 40,000 20,000 Upgrades to system, creation of app.
Workforce Leverage Online App 60,000 40,000 20,000
Employment Plug Phone App 30,000 20,000 10,000
SUB TOTAL TECHNOLOGY 150,000 100,000 50,000
SUBOTAL EXPENSE 825,900 475,450 350,450
SURPLUS/DEFICIT 91,100 16,750 74,350
Notes:
1) Fees are prorated for each year
FIRST TWO YEARS OF OPERATIONS
FIGURE 11
Organizational Chart
EBONY
JOHNSON
Platform Manager
Gina Merritt
Relationship
Manager
Gail Northern
Hiring Evaluation
Specialist
Ebony Johnson
Job Success Coach
Shaira Dunn
Hiring Evaluation
Specialist
Brandon Bryant
Platform
Ambassador
Gail Northern
Platform
Coordinator
Shaira Dunn
Platform Assistant
Coordinator
3/18/21
FIGURE 12
PLATFORM IMPLEMENTATION TEAM
Ebony Johnson, Platform Manager
Oversees all aspects of the PCC Platform, Workforce Leverage™ and WFL Collective™ systems.
Provides strategic guidance to Coordinators and Hiring Evaluation Specialists. The Platform
Manager also oversees the progress of operations, develops efficient strategies and plans to
ensure that all programs deliver the desirable outcome to contractors and individuals seeking
employment opportunities.
Gail Northern, Platform Coordinator
Organizes and Oversees all aspects of the outreach components the PCC Platform, Work Force
Leverage Ô system and WFL Collective™. Provides strategic guidance and coordination on
outreach venues to maximize the noticing and marketing of opportunities to contractors,
people, trade agencies and other local community groups.
Shaira Dunn, Platform Assistant Coordinator
Coordinates with Platform Manager, Platform Coordinator and other staff to support PCC
Process, Workforce Leverage Ô online system and the WFL Collective™ goals and fiscal
objectives. Perform administrative support duties, manage program documentation, and
coordinate conference calls, events, and travel arrangements as required by the program
manager. Provides support to Business and Hiring Evaluation Specialist as required.
Gail Northern, Hiring Evaluation Specialist
Implements all aspects of the PCC Hiring engagement platform by facilitating the early
engagement of local residents to ensure maximum time working on an economic development
project. The hiring evaluation specialist does this by implementing the following process:
• Solicits individual interest
• Conducts initial interview to Prescreen applicant for job readiness
• Evaluates interviewees Skills appearance, communication, self-awareness, and
readiness
• Reviews interviewees completed PCC surveys to assess the interest of the individual
• (Construction, professional services, retail, operations, other)
• Uses the data from the interview and survey to Identify where there is room for
improvement, based on results of process determines ratings in accordance to the
following scale:
(Category 1) Ready to Hire
FIGURE 13
(Category 2) Needs some support
(Category 3) Needs assistance from Workforce Development Agency
• Conducts Follow up counseling sessions and makes referral to Workforce Development
Agency Partner as required.
• Oversees the reevaluation process.
• Collaborates with Business Evaluation Specialist as required by the project.
Shaira Dunn, Hiring Evaluation Specialist
Implements all aspects of the PCC Hiring engagement platform by facilitating the early
engagement of local residents to ensure maximum time working on an economic development
project. The hiring evaluation specialist does this by implementing the following process:
• Solicit individual interest
• Conducts initial interview to Prescreen applicant for job readiness
• Evaluates interviewees Skills appearance, communication, self-awareness, and
readiness
• Reviews interviewees completed PCC surveys to assess the interest of the individual
• (Construction, professional services, retail, operations, other)
• Uses the data from the interview and survey to Identify where there is room for
improvement, based on results of process determines ratings in accordance to the
following scale:
(Category 1) Ready to Hire
(Category 2) Needs Some Support
(Category 3) Needs Significant Support
• Conducts Follow up counseling sessions and makes referral to WFL Collective™ Partners
as required.
• Oversees the reevaluation process.
Gina Merritt, Relationship Manager
The Relationship Manager works with Employer to ensure PCC candidates are effective and
meet the employer’s requirements. If challenges occur in the workplace, the Relationship
Manager work with the Job Success Coach to ensure workplaces issue are resolved.
The Relationship Manager also coordinates outreach to employers and partners. Responsible for
soliciting employment positions from social capital contacts. Performs outreach to new
community relationships to establish new partnerships for referral of employment candidates to
PCC and new social service providers for referral of our network members.
Ebony Johnson, Job Success Coach
The Job Success Coach works closely with PCC employment placements to track their progress
and ensure employment retention. The Job Success Coach works closely with the Relationship
Manager to help resolve any workplace challenges that the PCC employment placement
experiences.
Brandon Bryant, Platform Ambassador
Coordinates outreach on the ground in PCC communities. Connects employment candidates to
the PCC Network. Coordinates internal resources to meet the needs of the affected
communities.
Solicit Individual
Interest
Schedule
Interview
Evaluate Skills,
Review Surveys
Categorize
Individual
If Category 1- Post
Rating in PCC
If Category 2- Post
Rating in PCC
Follow-up with
counseling session
If Category 3 -
Post Rating in PCC
Refer to WFL
Collective Partner
Set date to Re-
Interview and Re-
Evaluate
Employment
Supports
© 2015 Inspironix, Inc. (916) 4883222 InspiroScan Form Survey_MHAL03Side 1
ONE SUMMER CHICAGO YOUTH SURVEY
Purpose: One Summer Chicago partners want to learn about your experience this summer to improve the quality of
summer jobs and programs for the future. How Your Information Will Be Used: Please note that your responses will
be reported in aggregate form (for example, reported for all jobs). Your individual responses will not be shared with
staff outside One Summer Chicago and its member organizations unless there is concern for your safety.
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If CPS Student: CPS ID
First Name Last Name Birthdate
Community Based Agency
SYEP
SYEPCHA
Greencorps
OSC+ (Without Mentor)
Infrastructure
Other___________________
Program:
Please start by answering these few additional experience questions?
Yes No
1. I received training in 21st century skills (e.g. work ethic, attitude, communication, problem solving, collaboration...)
2. I received training in job specific technical skills (e.g. office skills, sales, computer skills, food service...)
3. I received extra support from my agency (housing, transportation, clothing, counseling, emergency funds...)
4. I participated in a second job, internship or program this summer 2015.
5. Prior to this summer experience, I participated other paid/unpaid work or internship experiences.
How true are the following statements about the impact of your summer
experience?
Not at all
true
A little
true
Somewhat
true
Mostly
true
Completely
true
6. I enjoyed what I did this summer.
7. I found a sense of purpose and meaning in what I did this summer.
8. The summer experience was challenging.
9. My summer experience helped prepare me for what I plan to do in life.
10. I got better at avoiding or handling conflict with other people.
11. I learned to better think before I act.
12. I take pride in how I performed this summer.
13. Working hard this summer is going to pay off later.
14. I made lasting friendships with youth I met this summer.
15. What I learned during this summer is necessary for my success in the future.
16. Overall, my summer experience made me more hopeful about the future.
17. Overall, I was satisfied with my summer experience.
How true are the following statements about your summer experience impacts on education, career and life plans?
18. Taught me valuable skills.
19. Required me to use skills I learned from school such as English, Math, Social
Studies, and Science.
20. Helped me see that earning a high school diploma or college degree is important to
my life goals.
21. Helped me to focus on specific educational options that align to my life goals.
22. Helped me to focus on specific career pathways that align to my life goals.
23. Made me more likely to pursue higher education (college or vocational certification).
24. Improved and expanded my technicaloccupational job skills.
25. Required me to improve my 21st century skills.
26. Increased the number of professionals in my social network.
27. Allowed me to make a bond with an adult who can give me advice about my life
goals.
FIGURE 15
How true are the following statements about interactions with your workplace
supervisor? My supervisor:
Not at all
true
A little
true
Somewhat
true
Mostly
true
Completely
true
28. Helped me set and achieve goals.
29. Helped me work through barriers that could stop me from achieving my goals.
30. Noticed if I had trouble learning something.
31. Gave me feedback on my work that helped me do better.
32. Helped me understand what went wrong if I made a mistake.
33. Provided stepbystep instructions for the work I did.
34. Took me seriously and treated me fairly.
35. Let me know that they liked being with me or expressed positive feelings towards
me.
36. Made it a priority to understand who I am and what I care about.
37. My supervisor/instructor is someone I can trust
38. Helped me see future possibilities for myself.
39. Made it clear that he/she wanted me to live up to my potential.
40. Recognized my abilities while also pushing me to strengthen them.
41. Held me accountable for appropriate boundaries and rules
42. Asked for and listened to my opinions.
43. Considered my input when they made decisions.
44. Worked with me to solve personal problems on the job.
45. Introduced me to new ideas, experiences, or places
46. Introduced me to people who can help me grow.
47. Usually gave me work that was meaningful to me.
48. Made me feel the work I did was important to the organization.
What financial literacy impacts did you experience this summer?
Yes No
49. I completed financial literacy training (workshops or online).
50. I understand the importance of saving money and how to do it.
51. I know how to open and manage an bank account.
52. I understand the benefits of using a bank to manage money versus a currency exchange.
53. I opened a bank account.
Please answer a few questions about your spending habits this summer. Estimate how much money you spent over the
summer on the following:
54. Personal living expenses (cell phone, gas, lunch, work clothes) $______
55. Contribution to your Family (rent, utilities, groceries) $______
56. Things you wanted to buy for yourself that were not living expenses $______
57. Public Transportation to/from work that was not given to you by your agency (CTA and Metra) $______
58. How much money did you save this summer? $______
Yes No 59. Did you put savings into a bank account?
60. What are your plans for the fall? Please select all that apply.
I have a job at________________________
Conducting Job Search
Attending High School
ReEnrolling in High School or GED Program
Attending a College/Vocational/Trade School
Conducting College/Vocational/Trade School Search
I’m not sure
Other___________________
© 2015 Inspironix, Inc. (916) 4883222 InspiroScan Form Survey_MHAL03Side 2
© 2015 Inspironix, Inc. (916) 4883222 InspiroScan Form Survey_MHAL01Side 1
Employment/Internship Performance Review
The MHA Skills Survey is designed to help employers, teachers, and outofschool mentors communicate
with each other in a collaborative effort to improve the 21st century skills of individuals newly entering the
workforce. The information you provide on this form will be released to the employee/student as
constructive feedback but also provided to next year’s teachers or outofschool mentors to determine
which areas the youth will receive additional training in. Finally – but only if the student/employee so
wishes – a summary of these ratings will be passed on to the employee/student’s next employer. Please
take the time to respond thoroughly, but honestly.
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Internal Use or Student ID
Employee/Intern
First Name Last Name
How long have you known this employee/intern? Include this summer experience as well as any additional interaction.
2 months or less 34 months 512 months 1 year or more
Supervisor
First Name Last Name Title
Company Email Address
Skill Questions: Please rate youth honestly on each work readiness skill.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1. Has a 'can do' attitude even in negative situations.
2. Seeks other people’s input during joint work.
3. Knows where and how to get information to solve a problem.
4. Manages time to complete tasks on schedule.
5. Has strong critical thinking skills.
6. Can prioritize tasks based on importance and deadline.
7. If I had a job opening, I would hire this employee.
8. Graciously accepts criticism.
9. Takes responsibility for his or her actions and does not blame others.
10. Is a team player.
11. Identifies new and more effective ways to solve problems.
12. Has strong teamwork skills.
13. Dresses according to the defined norms of the workplace.
14. Asks clarifying questions in conversations and presentations to make sure message
was understood.
15. Works hard to get the job done well.
16. Clearly pronounces words, making it easy for the listener to understand (e.g., pace,
volume, enunciation).
17. I would recommend this employee to a colleague, for a similar position.
18. When speaking, is easy to follow and concepts are presented logically.
19. Stays calm, clearheaded and unflappable under stress.
20. Looks at the pros and cons of potential solutions before selecting one.
21. In written assignments, information is tailored to the task, purpose, and audience.
FIGURE 15.1
Skill Questions (continued)
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
22. Unpacks problems into manageable parts.
23. Writing is organized, making it easy for reader to understand and follow.
24. Does not procrastinate and gets work done on time.
25. Breaks large assignments into a schedule of smaller deadlines.
26. I would seek out this person to be on my next project.
27. Actively looks for ways to help other people.
28. Sets goals and monitors progress towards goal achievement.
29. Arrives on time and is rarely absent without cause.
30. Accurately remembers information from a conversation or presentation.
31. Generates multiple potential solutions to problems.
32. Perseveres in difficult tasks, not giving up when facing a setback or barrier.
33. Signals listening in conversations and presentations (e.g. keeps eyes on speaker,
smiles, nods, does not text, does not interrupt).
34. Can accurately estimate time required to finish assignments.
35. Willingly follows rules and procedures.
36. Adapts approach in response to changes in plans or others’ priorities.
37. Chooses words carefully when speaking (e.g. no technical jargon, slang, or
potentially harmful language).
38. Actively looks for additional tasks when own work is done.
39. Talks to other people before taking actions that affect them.
40. Intern/employee's skills improved over the course of the work experience.
41. I definitely consider this youth work ready.
42. Communicates professionally.
43. Uses mechanics of good written communication (e.g. complete sentences, proper
grammar, correct spelling).
44. Brings energy and enthusiasm to the workplace.
45. Willing to learn new information, skills, or approaches, as needed, to solve a
problem
Key Strength
If you had to hire this individual for just one skill, what would it be? Keep your answer text message sized, around 140 characters
(e.g., 'brings infectious enthusiasm to the office')
Additional Comments (optional)
© 2015 Inspironix, Inc. (916) 4883222 InspiroScan Form Survey_MHAL01Side 2
USER The Message The Speakers The Channels
Low-Income
Individual
• Join PCC to Get Hooked-
Up with a Job
• Successfully Placed
Individuals
• Social Media
• Community Facilities
Employer
• Have Empathy – Hire
Someone From the
Underserved Community
They Are Working In
• Maintain Good
Reputation and Profit
Margin By Hiring PCC
• Employers That Have
Hired Quality
Candidates
• Developers/Owners
That Appreciate the
Success of Their
General Contractors
Which Helps Improve
The
Developer’s/Owner’s
Reputation
• Conference Marketing
• LinkedIn
Partners-Social
Services,
Training,
Education,
Government
Agencies
• Join The Collective To Get
Your Program Participants
Employed
• PCC Shares Data,
Leverages Your Strengths
and Provided Technology
To Help Y our Constituents
Employed
• PCC Collective Model
Members
• LinkedIn
• Social Media
• Partner’s Media
Channels
FIGURE 16 - PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® - CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
•Trusted Community Resource
•Expected to Provide Connections to Resources for Community Members
•Problem: Does Not Have Social Capital Connections that can Provide Access Employment Opportunities (personal
communication, J. Alston; Personal communication, M. Middleton, 2019)
•Problem Solved: They Refer Their Community Members to PCC for Employment
Community Leaders
•Provider of Training and Employment Connections
•Expected To Train People and Provide Connections to Employment Opportunities
•Problem: They Often Do Not Have Employment Opportunities Available After Training is Complete(personal
communication, M. Ellis 2019; personal communication, J. Stewart 2019)
•Problem Solved: They Refer Their Constituents to PCC for Employment
Non-Profit Workforce
Development Agencies
•Provider of Training and Employment Connections
•Expected To Support People in Need of Services That Help Them Meet Basic Needs, Employment Not Part of
Outcomes But Lack of Income Creates Some of Those Challenges (Miller, 2017)
•Problem: Limited Access To Employers Outside of Their Network For People Who Have Overcome Social Challenges
and Are Ready To Be Employed – (personal communication, C. Pitchford, February 2020)
•Problem Solved: They Refer Their “Ready-To-Work” Program Participants to PCC for Employment
Non-Profit Social Service
Agencies
•Provider of Investment In Construction Projects, Provider of Training and Social Services For Low-Income Residents
•Expected To Train People and Provide Connections to Employment Opportunities
•Problem: They Don’t Have Strong Social Capital Connections To Employers(personal communication, M. Ellis, 2019)
•Problem Solved: They Refer Their Constituents to PCC for Employment
Government Agencies
•Provider of Employment Opportunities
•Expected To Hire People To Meet Socio Economic Goal – Per Owner’s Direction
•Problem: They Do Not Know Where To Find Quality Candidates That Can Work For an Extended Period (personal
communication, J. Bigelow, January 2020)
•Problem Solved: They Use PCC To Hire Individuals to Meet Their Socio-Economic Goals
General Contractors and
Subcontractors
•Provider of Economic Opportunities For Communities Via Government Contracts
•Expected To Train People and Provide Connections to Employment Opportunities
•Problem: They Do Not Know Where To Find Quality Candidates That Can Work For an Extended Period – And They
Push This Responsibility Onto General Contractor(personal communication, G. Hermandofer, February 2020)
•Problem Solved: Project Owner Refers PCC to General Contractor
Project Owners
FIGURE 17 – Post PCC Engagement – Stakeholder Analysis
GOAL 1 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Develop Questionnaire
Develop List Of Focus Group Participants
Ebony(Platform
Manager)
4/1/21 9/1/21 Key Component to Developing
Evidence Based Model
Staff support
Amenable Contractors
GOAL 2 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Partner Cultivation - Contact Partners in Education,
Training, Social Services - that focus on health caare,
child care supports, transportation supports,
financial supports for college
Ebony Johnson 5/1/21 12/31/21 Need to add in Baltimore Market
and Need to indentify players in
the other markets we are gaining
traction in
Access to Resources other than Jobs, Training - That
People Need-Like Corporations - Get Them To Give
Items For Distriution To PCC Network Members
Ebony Johnson 5/1/21 12/31/21
Strategy and Work Plan for implementation
GOAL 3 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Add Functionality To App - Add Resume Building,
Access To Resources, Tracking of Progress In PCC
Process
Gina/Ebony 5/1/21 12/31/21 Currently partnered with HABC on
Baltimore City project. With
success hoping HABC will engage us
to screen 1000 of their constiuents
and place them in jobs
Add Case Management to Online Internal System - So
Partners Can Logon and see Status of Their
Constituents
Gina/Ebony/Staff 2/1/21 8/30/21
Add New Components To Workforce Leverage
Database To Include Industry Specific Jobs
Technology Improvements
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® ACTION PLAN
Perform Focus Groups/Survey
To Understand Steps in Career
Path For Construction
Opportunities
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
Identify Additonal Partners For
The Workforce Leverage
Collective - For Multiple Entry
Points Into The System - Based
On Skills
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
FIGURE 1 8
GOAL 4 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Formulate a strategy to include a step-by-step
process on how to recruit individuals with high-value
social capital
Gina/Ebony 6/1/21 12/31/21 Need to figure out how to insert
into collective impact model
Implement strategy on a small scale to test the
strategy's effectiveness
8/1/21 12/31/21
Registration of 10 Network members with social
capital by year's end
Connection with 20 jobs outside of construction over
the next year
GOAL 5 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Review existing materials that demonstrate what the
process is, including revised prototype
GM/Ebony 12/15/20 3/15/21 Need to hire a student to start
writing based on all of the
presentations and writeup and
flowcharts we have created
Work Through process steps with Team including
answering any questions about the vision of how the
process should work vs how it works now and getting
input on what we can do better
GM/Ebony 4/1/21 4/1/23 Need to do monthly workshops
with team as a way to create and
implement process improvement
Write in Narrative Form - Process for each User, Also
create graphic version of how process should work
Ebony/Staff/Interns 4/1/21 9/30/20 Need to hire a student to start
writing based on all of the
presentations and writeup and
flowcharts we have created
Need To Hire Intern To Help with Writing Ebony 4/1/21 5/1/21 Platform Manager needs to
coordinate writing and final
deliverable
PCC Implementation Guidebook for each user type Ebony 4/1/21 12/31/21
GOAL 6 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Market to Housing Authorities GM/Ebony 5/1/21 3/15/21 Need to hire a student to start
writing based on all of the
Market to Federal Government Contacts GM/Ebony 5/1/21 5/1/23 Need to do monthly workshops
with team as a way to create and
implement process improvement
Use social media to flood the internet with our
successes
Ebony/Staff/Interns 5/1/21 9/30/21 Need to hire a student to start
writing based on all of the
presentations and writeup and
flowcharts we have created
Need to utilize social capital - Need Early Adopters to
help push the Workforce Leverage Collective forward
through governemt channels
Gina/Ebony Ongoing activities
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® UPDATED ACTION PLAN
Obtain a Federal Governemnt
Contract to implement in
public housing redevelopment
projects as a preferred model
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
Develop and Implement
Strategy for Building Social
Capital Network for Agency
Level Implementation -
Recruiting general population
for jobs - instead of
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
Implement the Documenting
and Refinement of the PCC
process for Individuals,
Contractors and Government
Agencies
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
GOAL 7 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Interview Users and Government Agencies to
determine what data is important to them
Gina/
Ebony(Platform
Manager)
9/1/21 12/1/21 Try to start this earlier perhaps - by
doing online interviews
Develop Methodology for Analysis Ebony/Staff 12/1/21 4/1/22
Create a Google Survey Tool as Interim Step Ebony/Staff 5/1/21 5/31/21
User Interview Results
Staff support
Need Strategy documented and Survey Tool Finalized
for use
GOAL 8 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Work with team to develop ideas on how to market
PCC as a global platform for government agencies
versus a project specific platform for contractors
GM/Ebony (Platform
Manager)/Staff
1/1/21 12/31/21 In PRogress
Develop steps in process flow and system to
implement activities that support building one
database for access by all users who want to identify
"Ready-to-Work" individuals - using the existing
Workforce Leverage Database model - or not?
Morgan/Staff 4/1/21 9/1/21 COMPLETED
Strategy and Work Plan for implementation
Identification of new delivery methods for solution
GOAL 9 ACTION STEP DESCRIPTIONS RESPONSIBLE PARTY START DATE
COMPLETION
DATE
COMMENTS
Work with team to identify potential clients Gina/Ebony 7/1/21 12/31/22 Currently partnered with HABC on
Baltimore City project. With
success hoping HABC will engage us
to screen 1000 of their constiuents
and place them in jobs
Work with team to identify places to advertise our
services that would garner large numbers of potential
screening participants
Gina/Ebony/Staff 2/1/21 8/30/21
Government Contract that pays for screening large
group of low-income residents
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
PROJECT COMMUNITY CAPITAL® UPDATED ACTION PLAN
Develop a Data Collection and
Analysis Strategy
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
Develop Strategy to Build a
Global Database vs Project
Specific Database
List Resources and Desired
Outcomes
Develop and Implement
Strategy to Obtain
Government Contract for
Screening large groups of their
constituents
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
PCC's work is influenced by the Grand Challenge "Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality." PCC identifies ready workers and connects them to job opportunities they would otherwise not know about. Fifty-six percent of jobs are found using social capital, and seventy percent of jobs are not publicly marketed (Ayers, 2016). This valuable social capital, if possessed, would allow low-income individuals to access jobs, earn income, and achieve a better life for themselves and their families.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Merritt, Gina
(author)
Core Title
Project Community Capital®: a social capital platform - connecting ready workers to employment opportunities
School
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Degree
Doctor of Social Work
Degree Program
Social Work
Degree Conferral Date
2021-05
Publication Date
06/01/2021
Defense Date
06/08/2021
Publisher
Los Angeles, California
(original),
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
collective impact,employment,reducing extreme income inequality,social capital
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Smith-Maddox, Renee (
committee chair
), Kay-Wicker, Robin (
committee member
), Rice, Eric (
committee member
)
Creator Email
gmerritt@nreuv.com,gmerritt@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC13012621
Unique identifier
UC13012621
Identifier
etd-MerrittGin-9644.pdf (filename)
Legacy Identifier
etd-MerrittGin-9644
Document Type
Capstone project
Format
theses (aat)
Rights
Merritt, Gina
Internet Media Type
application/pdf
Type
texts
Source
20210611-usctheses-batch-839
(batch),
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
collective impact
reducing extreme income inequality
social capital