Progress on the path to economic prosperity

Emerson works two jobs but is still not earning enough to put food on the table at every meal for herself and her two school-age children. She often has to make difficult decisions between paying for car repairs or purchasing an A/C unit for her asthmatic children. This is an all too common reality here in the Berkshires.

While progress is being made in moving working families out of poverty, there is still much work to be done. More families are low-income families and they are struggling to move into the middle class. In 2016, 28.2% of families in Berkshire County were low-income, up from 22.4% in 2015. The median household income also increased to $52,253 from $49,956 in 2015 – but that is still far below the median household income of $70,954 across the rest of our state. (Source: Berkshire Benchmarks)

This is where our Economic Prosperity Impact Council comes in. EPIC is a cross sector coalition of over 35 members representing 30 organizations. The coalition’s goal is to reduce the number of households with incomes under $75,000. Our dedicated EPIC volunteers are committed to getting more people to work. Our strategies are focused on refining hiring practices of employers, building the skills and talents of job seekers, improving college completion rates, and aligning social services to promote employment. In order to address these strategies, Berkshire United Way invests $105,000 in Berkshire County Regional Employment Board Berkshire recruiter program, and $75,000 in Lever, Inc’s Berkshire Business Interns.

Next steps for EPIC are to build on the opportunities for success, including working with local employers to refine their hiring practices to support employees and promote retention and aligning our existing training/certificate programs with the current job openings. We also need to keep an eye on areas where there are job growth opportunities, like manufacturing and health care.

We would love your input on what is and is not working related to your employment needs – whether you’re an employer with positions to fill or a job seeker who’s looking to add to their resume.

Please contact me via email at jsingley@berkshireunitedway.org or give me a call at
413-442-6948 x32, if you are interested in helping to build our community through this important work.

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact

Paid internship opportunities – it’s EPIC!

Do you know a college student coming home for the summer? If so, please encourage them to apply for an internship through Berkshire Business Interns (BBI). BBI is offering more than 30 paid summer internship opportunities at leading Berkshire County Businesses. BBI is a program of Lever, a Berkshire United Way Community Partner and active member of our Economic Prosperity Impact Council (EPIC). Paid internships for young adults is just one of the strategies employed by EPIC to build a pathway to sustainable income for Berkshire County residents.

By providing lucrative and meaningful employment opportunities for young people here in the Berkshires, we increase Berkshire businesses’ access to the best talent, and create opportunities for college students to be exposed to cutting-edge businesses and careers.  The ultimate goal is for these interns to choose to live and work in the Berkshires once they graduate. This is an economic win for our community as well as for our young people.

Karen Vogel, director of community impact at Berkshire United Way, is pictured with Jackie Kays, positive youth development intern.

If you are interested in learning more about the EPIC work that is taking place here in the Berkshires, I invite you to email me at jsingley@berkshireunitedway.org or give me a call at 413.442.6948 x32. 

Oh, and about those internships...make sure you tell the college students in your life to apply soon!  Positions are currently being filled.

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact

Paving a path to prosperity

The median household income for Berkshire County residents increased from $49,956 to $52,253* in 2016.  Furthermore, the percentage of households in Berkshire County with income under $75,000 declined from 68% in 2015 to 65.8%* in 2016.  

While that’s certainly good news for those of us who call Berkshire County home, we still lag behind the rest of the state, where the median household income in 2016 was $70,954. 

There is still work to be done. Here in the Berkshires, a single mother may be working multiple jobs, yet struggling to meet her daily living expenses. She may have to make the difficult decision to repair her used car, so she doesn’t have to rely on friends and family for transportation OR pay her electric bill to keep her home warm on nights when the mercury dips below freezing. Her income doesn’t allow her to do both.

The Economic Prosperity Impact Council (EPIC), which launched in September 2017, is comprised of community volunteers who are committed to getting more people to work and creating a pathway to sustainable income. EPIC’s vision is for Berkshire County to have a diverse, thriving, and sustainable economy where everyone has equitable access to economic prosperity. EPIC recently agreed on four goals to measure progress countywide:

·        Reducing the number and percentage of households with incomes under $75,000

·        Increasing industry distribution, creating a greater diversity of local industries

·        Increasing occupation distribution, therefore expanding employment opportunities

·        Increasing average household net worth

Berkshire United Way is investing $105,000 in the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board to hire a Berkshire recruiter who will serve as an employment match maker, and $75,000 in Lever, Inc. to offer college internships to local youth in support of these goals.

Next steps for EPIC are to continue mapping existing community assets and activities aligned with increasing economic prosperity and to identify specific strategies that will lead more people to work.

I invite you to email me at jsingley@berkshireunitedway.org or give me a call at 413.442.6948 x32, if you are interested in giving your time and talent to this EPIC work.  Together, we can build a stronger community here in the Berkshires.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact  

*American Community Survey US Census 5-year estimates

It’s EPIC!

If you attended BerkshireWork’s recent Job Fair, you may have noticed the Berkshire United Way table and wondered what we were doing there. My colleagues, members of our Economic Prosperity Impact Council (EPIC) and I were surveying employers and job seekers to gather data that will inform our Economic Prosperity work.

One young woman spoke with us about the barriers she is facing in finding a job, because she doesn’t have a college degree.  We know there are many people in our community just like her.

Julie Singley, Program Manager of Community Impact at Berkshire United Way attends BerkshireWorks’ annual job fair on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.  

That’s one of the reasons Berkshire United Way held its first EPIC meeting on September 22, 2017. There were 20 individuals in attendance, representing for-profit businesses, health, government, education, and non-profit organizations.

EPIC is a countywide, coalition led by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and Berkshire United way, which aims to build pathways to sustainable incomes for individuals and families in the community. Over the next six months, consultant Brittany DeBarros, will work with EPIC to identify shared goals and clear action steps as coalition members work together to:

• Develop and implement strategies to get more people to work and fill vacant jobs
• Create strategic work groups as needed based on additional data collection and mapping/identifying existing resources
• Develop collaborations and partnerships to change the way we work to successfully reach our goals
• Identify additional resources
• Assist in developing investment recommendations for final approval by Berkshire United Way Board of Directors
• Develop and monitor performance measures with reports from community partners on:
• Employment Match Maker (Family Sustaining Employment/Pathways)
• Adult Work-Based Experiences

I invite you to email me at jsingley@berkshireunitedway.org or give me a call at 413.442.6948 x32, if you are interested in sharing your time and talent to create economic prosperity for all.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact