New Eleanor Foundation Report on Women Who Are the Working Poor

(14 Nov 2005) – The Eleanor Foundation - an innovative Chicago-based foundation that has addressed the needs of working women of modest means for more than a century - will release research this week that provides a dynamic picture of this population and unveil the $2 million Eleanor Self-Sufficiency Initiative to meet its needs, says Rosanna Márquez, President of the Foundation and the former Regional Administrator of HUD and former member of Mayor Richard M. Daley's cabinet.

"We believe this group of women is vastly underserved and that our society must invest in their future," says Márquez. "Our research shows that over 85 percent of female-headed households earning under $20,000 do not access any kind of services - public or private. Our target population is a diverse group - but what these women have in common is that they are determined to help themselves. Through our new grant program, we aim to expand opportunities and promote sustained economic self-sufficiency for these women."

The Eleanor Foundation is targeting the often-overlooked population of working women who head households and earn between $10,000 and $30,000 per year. The Foundation has chosen $30,000 as the cap because it falls below the amount needed in order to cover all of the basic needs of housing, food, childcare, transportation, and healthcare for households in the Chicago market.

"The research tells us there is an overwhelming need out there to reach these women," Márquez adds. "Our work in Chicago communities shows us that we know how to make a difference."

The Eleanor Foundation will bring a range of funders and policymakers together to present research findings and launch the Eleanor Self-Sufficiency Initiative from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Thursday, November 17 at the Tudor Room of The Union League Club, 7th Floor, 65 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois.

Data
The research presents a detailed picture of women in this target population - including where they live and work, their situations and needs, and how best to help them. Based on the data, it is clear that although they persist in their jobs, few of these women - very few -- have education and employment backgrounds that bode well for greater success and better opportunities:

• Demographics: Research shows that there are 420,000 female-headed households in Chicago. Based on their income, more than 131,000 of these women - and 153,000 children - are in Eleanor Foundation's target area.
• Education: Only about one-third of women in this population have some college experience, though very few have a degree. One-third have less than a high school degree. Most do not have the education to get into better paying, high potential jobs.
• Employment: The largest portion of these women (28 percent) work in office and administrative support positions. The report concludes that "most work in low-potential jobs."
• Housing: Most women in the Foundation's target population (71 percent) rent rather than own their homes.
• Public Subsidy: Most of these women are not accessing public assistance programs - often because they do not want to due to stigma, assistance is not available, or they are not eligible according to the report.

Researchers in the Urban Planning and Policy Program at the University of Illinois produced the new report titled "Understanding the Needs of Lower-Income Working Women in Chicago." Data for the report was compiled from the 2000 Census, employment data from the state of Illinois, and interviews with women in The Eleanor Foundation's target population.

The report, and experience of Eleanor Foundation grantees, reflects the daily struggle of households headed by lower-income working women to juggle work and family while finding affordable housing, decent schools and safe neighborhoods and other keys of everyday life.

For these women, getting through the day can mean facing a choice between health care for their children and paying the rent. The research shows that lower-income working women in Chicago are scattered throughout every community - "dispersed and nearly invisible," according to Márquez. They are most likely, however, to live in "neighborhoods that are high poverty with other lower-income families."

Successful programs
While "Understanding the Needs of Lower Income Working Women in Chicago" provides a detailed snapshot of the needs of this population, various programs also suggest the enormous potential of lower income working women in Chicago communities.

Austin Childcare Providers Network In the Austin community on Chicago's west side, a group of working mothers - and grandmothers - are showing how community partnerships, home-based childcare, and education can help families - and communities - achieve economic independence.

In just seven years, the Network - a collaborative effort of at-home day care centers and a handful of neighborhood-based day care centers - has grown from five to 80 members. The Network supports members through a wide range of community-based events, supportive activities, and professional development opportunities.

"Our whole concept is to provide training and education for childcare providers - and childcare for children in underserved communities," says Ruth Kimble, president of the Network.

The Network has grown to the point where it now can benefit child care providers through an array of trainings in how to use technology, earn a GED, and pursue the kind of professional education they can use in the day-to-day work of running a childcare facility. Last February, members of the Network made a quilt for Black History Month that celebrated their work. The quilt was displayed at Kohl's Children Museum in Navy Pier.

"We work hard as child care providers," says Margaret Johnson, a member of the Network who runs a childcare facility out of her home and takes care of a grandchild. "I look for every opportunity that will help me financially - and mentally - in this field. This is a great networking organization. The focus is on education, and education pays off."

Johnson says training and information she has received through the Network has helped her boost her academic credentials. Since joining the Network, she has qualified for the state's Great START program, which rewards child care professionals by supplementing their income based on education they have already attained above DCFS licensing standards.

Mamie Armour, a childcare provider, Austin resident and grandmother who lives with her two grandsons, says the Network "has helped me run my business. There are a lot of workshops and meetings I wouldn't otherwise know about. If you want to really be good at what you are doing, you have to learn more about your field." Armour runs a home-based day care home that is licensed to serve up to eight children.

The Network has also been able to access key resources that help members, and the organization, develop their capacity to improve childcare services from a business standpoint. Goodcity, a faith-based organization, supports emerging neighborhood and faith-based programs, which promote self-sufficiency and hope in the lives of individuals in under-resourced communities, has helped teach the Network and its members some of the basics that many organizations take for granted - like board and leadership development and how to write a grant.

Goodcity also received a $60,000 grant from the Eleanor Foundation that encouraged women in the Network to benefit from Individual Development Accounts. Through the program, childcare providers set up a bank account; their savings are matched by foundation grant funds and federal government funds. The end result, Kimble says, is that providers "understand the importance of managing and investing their money, and maintaining a budget."

"The Eleanor Foundation has made a real commitment to these women," says Mike Ivers, President of Goodcity. "Women - and especially single mothers - are still seen as second-class citizens. People still have a stereotype. What the Eleanor Foundation, and our program, tries to do is encourage partnerships and growth for people who need it."

Other dynamic programs
Marquez points to a range of other dynamic programs around the city that are also having an impact. On the North Side, The Foundation supports Housing Opportunities for Women, which offers transitional and permanent housing and support services to women with children who are seeking to achieve independent, self-sufficient lives. HOW works primarily in the Edgewater and Rogers Park communities of Chicago.

On the South Side, the Foundation supports the HomeSharing Program run by the Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, which links homeseekers - many of whom are lower-income working women - with homeowners, including many seniors willing to take reduced rent in exchange for help with errands and chores.

Next steps
The Eleanor Foundation seeks to make a greater impact on this population through a three-year, $2 million initiative that will identify potential partners who can build and develop program models that promote sustained economic self-sufficiency. The Foundation has identified four core service needs for the women it serves: job skills training/career enhancement services; access to affordable and decent permanent housing; childcare (tied to other economic self-sufficiency efforts), and financial literacy/credit cleanup.

The Eleanor Foundation, Márquez adds, understands that foundation support for this group of women is a critical step and that many other partners need to be involved. "We are looking to leverage what we know about lower income working women - and what we plan to invest - with other funders and policymakers," she says. "We must invest in the future of these women."

Applications for the Eleanor Self-Sufficiency Initiative are due in January. The Eleanor Foundation hopes to launch three to five projects funded by the new initiative by spring, 2006.

History and goal of foundation
Founded in 1898, The Eleanor Foundation is known for fostering independence and economic self-sufficiency among working women of modest means throughout Chicago. Traditionally, the focus of the Foundation's mission has been to provide decent and affordable housing for these women. In 2002, the Eleanor Foundation turned to grant making as the principal means of advancing its mission.

Since 2002, the Eleanor Foundation has been making grants to organizations offering fresh approaches to meeting the core needs of households headed by working females of modest means. Now, Márquez says, the Foundation is initiating a grant program that will target the changing needs of this population.

"The story used to be that if you worked hard and worked full-time, you would be able to take care of yourself and your family," Márquez says. "Now we know that that deal is off the table. We need to provide the kind of opportunities and access to resources for lower-income women that they need to succeed in today's world."

For further information, contact:
Vicky Nurre
Director, Development & Communications
312.337.7913
vnurre@eleanorfoundation.org