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Goal: Quality employment supports and opportunities are available for those who are
traditionally underserved, and workers are earning a livable wage.
Five-Year Focus:
- Support businesses which provide livable wage jobs.
- Encourage the
development of livable wage programs.
- Maintain and strengthen efforts in the
field of women's economic opportunity.
- Support the Women's Small Business Program.
- Support the startup and expansion of immigrant and refugee owned
businesses and the Vermont Refugee Microenterprise Program operated by the Micro
Business Program.
- Support programs to assist non-college bound youth.
- Work
to establish and support innovative programs (such as ReCycle North and the Good
News Garage) for job training and adult education, targeted to the resident
population most in need.
- Encourage state agencies to eliminate disincentives
such as loss of benefits for those entering the workforce from public assistance
programs.
- Upgrade transportation services for low-income residents.
- Improve transportation connections between areas where low-income residents live
and areas where jobs exist.
- Support the Good News Garage in its efforts to
provide affordable vehicles and rideshare alternatives for low-income residents.
-
Encourage coordination of the myriad of transportation services currently
being offered and ensure outreach to make sure the services are reaching those
in need.
- Support assistance to the targeted population in obtaining
transportation vouchers, coordinating ridesharing, and acting as an advocate on
their behalf.
- Support expansion of public transportation routes and hours of
service.
- Support the development of a new Bike Path through the Intervale
linking the Old and New North End.
- Support and expand quality pre-school and
daycare programs for working parents and for parents attending education and
training programs.
- Make child care more affordable.
- Support
expansion/strengthening of state funding mechanisms for child care, such as the
Early Care and Learning Initiative and increased childcare subsidies.
- Support
national accreditation of early care and education programs.
- Support efforts
to increase wages and skills of child care providers.
- Encourage on-site
childcare.
- Explore opportunities to develop group health insurance policies
for childcare providers.
- Support the efforts of the Vermont Department of
Employment & Training to develop new training programs for industry and for
businesses in the region.
- Work through the Community Outreach Partnership
Center and its University of Vermont economic impacts project to expand economic
opportunity for Burlington residents.
The City expended Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds on the following projects and programs in program years 2003-06 to further the
priority of equal opportunity, livable wages and childcare:
| Project Title
|
Relation to Consolidated Plan |
Program Year |
CDBG Funds Expended |
Other Funds Leveraged |
Projected Accomplishments |
Actual Accomplishments |
|
Bike
Recycle Vermont |
Repair
donated bicycles and give them to low-income residents, including
refugees |
2005 |
$200 |
$5,195 |
Provide repaired
donated bicycles to 75 low-income residents |
Cancelled |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Burlington Children’s Space |
Provide quality, affordable childcare for low and moderate
income families through a sliding tuition scale |
2003 |
$6,000 |
$538,890 |
Serve 55 children |
56 children served |
| 2004 |
$6,000 |
$581,942 |
Serve 55 children |
52 children served |
| 2005 |
$5,500 |
$353,572 |
Serve 55 children |
53 children served |
| 2006 |
$5,500 |
$661,431 |
Serve 52 children |
48 children served |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Burlington Sustainable Economic Development Strategies |
General financial and technical assistance to small and large
businesses; targeted assistance to employers with livable wage jobs
and to businesses playing a key role to downtown vitality;
development of affordable space for small and micro businesses;
waterfront development; and redevelopment of vacant or abandoned
property |
2003 |
$96,351 |
$17,945,000 |
Participate in employer roundtables on workforce
training and identify 2 new training programs for livable wage jobs |
Co-facilitated DET Community
Resource Center meetings, expanded to include UVM
Helped organize focus group on IT needs
Organized Chief Information Officers Assoc.
meeting
VTHITEC established training program for
hospital technology needs |
| 2004 |
$110,328 |
$30,400,000 |
Participate in employer roundtables
on workforce training and identify 2 new training programs for
livable wage jobs |
Participated in DET community
meetings
Helped to support/establish 2 new
training programs: Aviation Training Center and Information
Technology Apprenticeship Readiness slots at Dealer.com |
| 2005 |
$127,190 |
$42,148,973 |
Participate in employer
roundtables on workforce training and identify 2 new training
programs for livable wage jobs |
3 training programs established |
|
2006 |
$114,966 |
$59,125,583 |
Participate in employer roundtables
on workforce training and identify 2 new training programs for
livable wage jobs |
Organized meeting of Workforce
Accelerated Response Team to discuss employee exchange program
Helped to support 3 training programs: Customer
service representative and web development at Dealer.com and
Aviation Tech training |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Business
Financing & Technical Assistance |
Promote economic
independence for entrepreneurs by providing them technical
assistance and access to capital to start or expand their businesses |
2003 |
$100,401 |
$2,315,000 |
Provide
information, financing and/or technical assistance to 140 people |
210 people
assisted |
| Help to start
17 new businesses and retain/expand 8 businesses |
17 new
business start-ups and 11 retained/expanded |
| Create/retain
44 jobs |
Created/retained 63 ½ FTE jobs |
| Maintain the
Commercial Space database |
Requests for
the database average 8-15 per month |
| Update
Guide
to
Doing Business in Burlington |
Updated and
now includes a cd/web version with government forms, planning
templates and financial spreadsheets |
| Assist refugee
entrepreneurs |
Assisted 10
refugees |
| 2004 |
$183,462 |
$330,006 |
Provide information, financing
and/or technical assistance to 160 people
|
169 people assisted
|
| Help start 12 new businesses and
retain/expand 10 businesses |
9 new business start-ups and 17
retained/expanded |
| Create/retain 60 jobs |
183 jobs created/retained |
| Maintain the
Commercial Space database |
Updated monthly, averaging 12
requests per month |
| Distribute
Guide to
Doing Business in Burlington |
Available on disc (around 350
distributed) and online |
| Assist refugee entrepreneurs |
Provided technical assistance to10
refugees |
| 2005 |
$107,892 |
$182,900 |
Provide information, financing
and/or technical assistance to 160 people |
251 people assisted |
| Help start 12 new businesses and
retain/expand 10 businesses |
12 new business start-ups and 15
retained/expanded |
| Create/retain 60 jobs |
96 jobs created/retained |
| Maintain the
Commercial Space database |
Responded to 144 requests for
information |
| Distribute
Guide to
Doing Business in Burlington |
Updated guide and distributed
1,300 copies (plus internet available) |
| Assist refugee entrepreneurs |
11 refugee entrepreneurs assisted |
| 2006 |
$225,627 |
$1,184,500 |
Provide
information, financing and/or technical assistance to 170 people
|
266 clients
assisted |
| Help start 12 new
businesses and retain/expand 10 businesses |
14 new start-ups,
4 relocations and 51 businesses retained/expanded
|
| Create/retain 100
jobs |
64 jobs
created/retained |
| Close 3 loans |
Closed 2 loans |
| Promote Renewal
Community and Designated Downtown tax incentives |
Mailed information
to 1,300 businesses and commercial property owners, offered free
seminar, did CCTV show |
| Maintain the
Commercial Space database |
Responded to 104
requests for information |
| Distribute guide
to Doing Business in Burlington |
Distributed 1,705
copies (plus internet available) |
| Assist refugee
entrepreneurs |
9 refugee
entrepreneurs assisted |
| Promote
Livable
Wage Toolkit |
Available onsite
and from
website |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Good News Garage |
Construct a new facility at the
former Vermont Transit Bus Barns site |
2003 |
$15,000 |
$1,809,830 |
1 new facility |
11,000 sq. ft. facility
completed |
| Create 2 jobs |
2 jobs created |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lund Child Care Program |
Childcare and preschool for low-income families at the Lund
Family Center |
2003 |
$5,500 |
$279,150 |
Serve 20 children |
33 children served |
| 2004 |
$5,500 |
$324,638 |
Serve 53 children |
44 children served |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| King Street Kids Are Kids
(Melting Pot) |
Childcare and early childhood education programming for children
of low and moderate income parents who are working or in school |
2003 |
$4,000 |
$75,000 |
Serve 17 children |
19 children served |
| 2004 |
$4,000 |
$79,000 |
Serve 17 children |
16 children served |
| 2005 |
$3,969 |
$80,000 |
Serve 17 children |
15 children served |
| 2006 |
$3,900 |
$115,500 |
Serve 20 children |
25 children served |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ReCycle North Facility Renovation |
Provide employment and training to homeless
individuals and others in transition, reduce the amount of reusable
and repairable household items dumped in landfills and make vital
household goods available to low-income residents |
2003 |
$0 |
$0 |
Facility improvements to
increase materials handling and processing space |
Facility
improvement postponed until next program year |
| Increase reuse sales by 14% |
| Create 2 jobs |
| Train 30 homeless, welfare t0
work and other disadvantaged residents in computer hardware /
networking skills |
| Sell
over $1 million and give
$68,000 in recycled goods annually |
|
2004 |
|
2005 |
$3,695 |
$14,997 |
Expanded and renovated commercial
space |
|
2006 |
$27,305 |
2 jobs created |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Women’s Small Business Program |
Foster economic independence by giving women the
skills needed for entrepreneurial success |
2003 |
$10,000 |
$54,087 |
Provide technical assistance
to 8 entrepreneurs |
13 low-mod entrepreneurs
assisted |
| Create/retain 3 jobs |
Created 5 FTE jobs |
| 2004 |
$10,000 |
$46,000 |
Provide training to 32
entrepreneurs |
31 entrepreneurs assisted (20
low/mod) |
| 2005 |
$10,000 |
$54,000 |
Provide training to 8 low/mod
entrepreneurs |
13 low/mod entrepreneurs trained |
| 11 business start-ups/businesses
revitalized |
19 businesses
started/planned/revitalized |
|
2006 |
$5,479 |
$63,170 |
Provide training to 19 low/mod
entrepreneurs |
11 low/mod entrepreneurs trained |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| YouthBuild |
Build and rehabilitate affordable housing while
training and educating at-risk and out-of-school youth |
2003 |
$5,034 |
$2,957 |
Create/rehab 2 units |
Rehabbed 1 unit |
| Train 20 youth |
Trained 14 youth |
| 2004 |
$10,513 |
$34,145 |
Create/rehab 1 unit |
Construction underway |
| Train 8 youth |
8 youth trained |
| 2005 |
$49,487 |
$81,500 |
Create/rehab 2 units |
Construction complete at 24 Volz
St. |
| Train 13 youth |
13 youth trained |
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Page last updated
April 04, 2008
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