Washington Appleseed is in the pilot stage of its Ford Foundation-funded project, Keeping Afloat: Helping Small Business Employees Make Ends Meet. As part of the pilot, we have distributed over 350 toolkit packets for low-wage workers to learn about applying for a variety of work support benefits. We have worked with over 20 small businesses owners and business and community associations-- from restaurants in the International District to day care centers in the Central District to garment manufacturers in the Rainier Valley. What have we learned from these wide-ranging small businesses? The progressive and compassionate Seattle business community wants to help their employees receive the benefits and services to which they are entitled.
One community that has welcomed our efforts to increase outreach is the Chinatown/International District. We are working closely with business and community groups, as well as employers, to hold workshops in Chinese to inform low-wage workers of their rights to many benefits. In collaboration with the City of Seattle's PeoplePoint outreach program, we held a workshop last month in both Chinese and English at Legacy House, an assisted-living facility in Chinatown.
An Op-Ed, by Senior Fellow Diana Stone and City Councilwoman Jan Drago, describing these efforts and the need for Seattle to increase its outreach efforts as an important local economic stimulus appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on February 8 (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/302766_benefits08.html). With the enormous return on investment with federal dollars coming into the city when these programs are accessed, Appleseed argues that Seattle can boost its own economic vitality while promoting public benefits to hard-working families. The enthusiasm of the business community that we have already seen encourages us in the belief that our efforts at increasing participation rates would be well-received by all stakeholders, benefiting our community as a whole. You can read more about our Keeping Afloat project and download toolkit materials on our website at http://www.waappleseed.org/article_27.shtml .
Great work, Diana!
