Site Visits
Unique opportunity! We are excited to add this new item to our conference schedule. On May 12, you’ll get a chance to visit poverty-reduction projects in the Portland area. The projects are part of the Portland Development Commission’s unique and very successful Portland Economic Opportunity Initiative (EOI).
Learn firsthand about these various projects by taking one of four themed project tours:
1) Organizations that work with formerly homeless people.
2) “Green economy” initiatives.
3) Health care related programs.
4) Culturally specific projects.
Each tour will include stops at three microenterprise and/or workforce projects, with lunch provided by an EOI microenterprise. There is no charge for the site visits, but space is limited and preregistration is required – make sure to select this option when you fill out your Grassroots & Groundworkconference registration.
Portland’s Economic Opportunity Initiative (EOI)EOI is an award-winning program that significantly increases the incomes of very low-income residents. Nonprofit providers, funded through EOI, administer 32 community-based projects. Each project is tailored to a specific group of participants and is intensive and comprehensive enough to give participants a real shot at success. Microenterprises get customized technical assistance. Workforce participants receive job training and employment services, including advancement assistance. All participants are offered personal skills coaching and support services. EOI addresses common needs among the various projects by centrally providing legal services, business marketing services, financial education, credit repair, housing assistance, driver’s license reinstatement, and removal of civil and criminal judgments from participant records. The program’s 2,600 participants are each enrolled in the program for three years, allowing them time to overcome their diverse barriers to success: homelessness, former incarceration, limited English fluency, foster youth, gang-involvement and/or disabilities. The two graduating classes so far have surpassed their goals of a 25 percent income increase. Most participants were unemployed when they entered the program and now have jobs, most with benefits at about $16 per hour. Microenterprises have increased their revenues by an average of 250 percent. To learn more, visit www.pdc.us. |
