An over-arching need across all industries in northern Santa Barbara County is the need for more workers! Alongside this is the challenge faced by hundreds of North County youth in foster care and homeless young people seeking paid, real-world work with opportunities to advance to long-lasting family-wage jobs and careers.

Hoping to help address both needs with one program, EconAlliance this year sought and received seed funding from Pacific Premier (now Columbia) Bank. The funding allows EconAlliance to develop a pilot workforce program to support foster and homeless youth entering jobs and careers. In partnership with Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Fighting Back Santa Maria, and others, EconAlliance Workforce Director Alejandra Mahoney and Initiatives Director Victoria Conner are bringing industry connections and resources (speakers, tours, workshops, internships) to foster and/or homeless youth cohorts for job and career support.

Without permanent housing and/or families, transitioning from school to jobs is more difficult for foster and homeless youth. The EconAlliance pilot is being planned to help level the playing field so that these prospective workers become competitive employment candidates.

Stay tuned!