FIRMS MAY GET REWARD FOR HELPING JOBLESS.Byline: Dan Laidman Staff WriterA city panel approved a measure Wednesday aimed at easing the jobless job·less adj. 1. Having no job. 2. Of or relating to those who have no jobs. n. (used with a pl. verb) Unemployed people considered as a group. Used with the. rate by giving municipal contract preference to firms that hire chronically unemployed workers. A draft of the Transitional Job Opportunities Program - approved by the City Council's Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee - would apply to contracts of $100,000 or less. Under the measure, the city would favor firms that provide transitional employment services even if their bids are up to 10 percent higher than those of a competitor. The measure could help people such as Oscar Lee, who told the panel that while he was out of work he struggled with homelessness and substance abuse before finding employment with Chrysalis chrysalis (krĭs`əlĭs): see pupa. , a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. specializing in transitional employment. ``I was not in a position where I could re-enter re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. society,'' he said. Lee became a driver and one day, while sitting in a truck, he decided to return to school. He now works as a case manager while pursuing a college degree. Adlai Wertman, president of Chrysalis, said the story illustrates both the promise of his organization and its challenges. Training and supervising such clients requires more resources than the typical firm that provides comparable services like street cleaning and graffiti graffiti Form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Technically the term applies to designs scratched through a layer of paint or plaster, but its meaning has been extended to other markings. removal needs, he said. ``It becomes very hard for us to be competitive in dealing with the city because our costs are pretty high,'' Wertman said. Such concerns led Chrysalis to approach Councilwoman Wendy Greuel's office. Their discussions led to the contracting preference plan, which Greuel said may be the first of its kind for a city government. ``For me it's a low-cost way for the city to help people move away from chronic unemployment to economic self-sufficiency,'' she said, adding that it could ultimately save Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. money now spent in connection with homelessness and unemployment. Officials estimate the program would cost up to $25,000 a year, funded from the public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. budget. The proposal now must garner the endorsement of the Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee before heading to the full City Council. Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com |
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