City of Austin - Downtown Report
July 1999

One Stop Labor Center

Summary

The One Stop Labor Center, formerly located on City-owned property on the 400 block of West César Chávez Street, is a facility equipped with restrooms and covered seating which provides shelter for day laborers while they wait for employment. The purpose of the One Stop Labor Center is to link day laborers to employers and workforce development centers. Program staff register and collect information from day laborers and employers on a daily basis to help match laborers' skills with the appropriate job. Staff also educate potential employers about services available at the site in order to encourage additional job opportunities for laborers. The program also includes security and maintenance personnel who are assigned to provide services to the site and the surrounding area. Oversight, maintenance and security are contracted through Austin Travis County Mental Health Mental Retardation (ATC MHMR).

City Council by resolution on May 20, 1999 directed staff to restructure the operation of the day labor program with the intent of adopting a new model for the program. The Glendale model, as described by day labor specialist Lynn Svensson during her visit to Austin, received much support from all parties involved, including day laborers, neighborhood residents, City Council Members, and City staff.

Elements of the Glendale model to be implemented include:

• Program focused on employment, not social services
• Program designed by the workers, who establish rules and policies and assume an active role in operating the program
• Non-profit organization created to operate the program under contract with the City
• City ordinance that identifies the Center as the only place where day laborers may be hired
• Professional organizer hired to be a neutral administrator and supervisor for the program

Status

On Thursday, June 3, 1999 the Austin City Council approved a lease on a facility located at 51st Street and IH-35 for use by the Day Labor Program. Council approved a one-year lease with four one-year extension options. The goal for opening the Day Labor program at the new site is August 9, 1999.

A contract with day labor specialist Lynn Svensson to guide the implementation process for the new program has been executed. A lease on the new site has been agreed to and work on the necessary improvements to the building and grounds has started. A transition team including, but not limited to, representatives from: workers, employers, neighborhood(s) around new site, and APD was formed. The team held several meeting and made a number of recommendations to help transition the program to the new location.

The non-profit organization to operate the program at the new site, First Workers' Corporation, has been established as directed by the Council resolution on June 3, 1999. A Board of Directors for the corporation has also been created. The corporation is now in the process of hiring a Site Coordinator and establishing policies and rules for the new program. The City is currently seeking to contract with a professional organizer and is informing workers and employers who use the current site to make sure they know about the relocation.

Finally, a subcommittee of the transition team is establishing evaluation criteria for the new program model. All stakeholders will agree on this criteria and a review of the program will be conducted after nine months. A decision will then be made to close or relocate the program within the following three months if the criteria has not been fulfilled.

Basic Data

• Program Manager: Gregory Bolds, Department of Health and Human Services, 707-3230
• Contractor: Surrena Schreiber, A/TC MHMR, 445-7728
• Site Coordinator: Melissa Mason
• Contract Term: January 1,1999-December 31, 1999
• Contract Award: $140,061