Benefits to the Communities
The first benefit is the financial infusion brought to the small cities and villages of Northwest Wisconsin when 296 young people receive summer wages of over $406,565 (wage expenditures as of August 27). Typically, adolescents spend their earnings on entertainment and less necessary items such as video games, iPods, and cosmetics. This sort of disposable income helps shops and entertainment facilities across the region. However, this summer, several of the young people working with ARRA funded jobs faced homelessness. In some cases, the youth's eight-week job, earning $7.25 an hour, was the family's only source of consistent income. The financial benefit is a bit less tangible, as it includes avoiding monetary disaster, avoiding eviction, and avoiding the need for stays in homeless shelters.
The jobs performed by the summer youth workers, adults receiving on the job training and those gaining work experience also enhanced the quality of life in a region that was experiencing an average unemployment rate of 11.7% last April. The range of projects and work activities performed by the summer youth employment workers include:
* Energy conservation through improved efficiency, identified by energy advocates working with home owners in Douglas County
* Prevention of the spread of invasive species in area lakes and waterways, through youth monitors at numerous boat landings at over 30 lakes, in a collaborative project involving DNR, CEP and the Department of Land & Water Conservation
* School maintenance and cleaning in preparation for the new school year, including installation of IT and networking systems, improving the educational experience for students and work environment for teachers
* Community garden projects, with young people plowing, planting, and tending a harvest that ultimately goes to the community food shelf
* Providing additional library staff, needed to meet the increased demand for free library services during a time of economic hardship
* Park and public space maintenance for towns and villages-mowing, litter collection, painting, cleaning community centers
* Highway maintenance, primarily mowing and trimming to keep roads safe and help drivers' visibility
* Trail developments , increasing tourism and recreation, with over ten miles of new mountain bike trails in the Seeley-Cable area
And there are many, many more unique assignments-at chambers of commerce, the natural history museum in Cable, recycling centers, community development agencies, food banks, fish hatcheries, and even a butterfly habitat.
The community benefits resulting from the ARRA services for unemployed adults and dislocated workers also have a financial impact. Twenty nine individuals are participating in on the job training programs, with half of their earnings supplemented by ARRA funding. These short-term positions provide workers with valuable job experience, needed to move into full employment in a new field. Across Northwest Wisconsin, most of these positions earn from $10 to $20 an hour, in transportation, construction, manufacturing, and administrative jobs.
The extensive classroom training opportunities made possible through ARRA also create long range community benefits. Of the 238 adults in educational programs, the vast majority are pursuing careers in the health care field: 75% of the participants in Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties and 67% across Northwest Wisconsin. This is advantageous for the future employment of these individuals, as this is definitely a growth industry in the region. And as an area that has been historically underserved with medical care, the increase in trained health care professionals enhances the quality of life for all the residents of Northwest Wisconsin.
Where would the communities be without the ARRA funding?
Any recovery is accelerated by hope, whether it is a medical or an economic recovery. Last March, when unemployment rates reached almost 17% in Rusk County, making it the county with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin, and plant closings and lay-offs seemed rampant across the region, the news of forthcoming ARRA help was just about the only source of hope. Without it, almost 300 adolescents and young adults would have been idle this summer, and all the good work they accomplished would not have been achieved. Non-profits hit by budget short-falls would have cut services; parks and roads would be overgrown and unappealing to the visitors who add a seasonal cash infusion to this area. Many of the facilities would be in disrepair and unkempt, adding to the sense of community helplessness.
And for many of the adults receiving ARRA assistance, it meant that they could acquire education and pursue a new job, one that is in demand, with growth potential. That shift into new training, new knowledge, and new opportunities also builds hope in individuals and eventually their communities.
As mentioned above, ARRA employment prevented some families and individuals from experiencing homelessness, which places a large burden on communities. By helping people with employment, on the job training, and work experience, ARRA gave them valuable skills, a consistent paycheck to meet their needs and maintain their homes, and it gave them hope for the future.
Testimonials
Tia Hanson, Energy Advocate, Douglas County, a program provided through Governor Doyle's ARRA discretionary funds
Kamron Van Donkersgoed, Bayfield County resident and Junior Counselor at CREX Conservation Camp, a position funded through the ARRA Summer Youth Employment Program
Sarah Wargin, Bayfield County resident and Library Assistant, Washburn Library, also funded through the Summer Youth Employment Program
Gary Larson, CNA training participant, Ashland County resident funded through ARRA Adult services
