CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
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N O V E M B E R 6 - 12 , 2 017
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PA G E 15
LEGAL AFFAIRS
Study: Legal intervention could bust down employment barriers By DOUGLAS J. GUTH clbfreelancer@crain.com
Volunteer Brandon Cox of Tucker Ellis with 3Rs students at Cleveland Early College High School. (Contributed photos)
lesson that engages the students. “Because those dos and don’ts may wind up saving your life. That was a very sobering moment for me, as I studied that lesson plan, because that isn’t something that I’ve had to confront in my life, knock on wood. That’s not something my children have had to confront. It’s something that’s foreign to many, many of the volunteers who — not all, but many of the volunteers — who go in,� Ungar said. Gayle Gadison, social studies curriculum manager for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, said the program has value for the district’s students — but also for the volunteers. The program lets the lessons students are learning be reinforced by real-life practitioners, Gadison said, but it also helps break down any negative, preconceived notions volunteers could have about Cleveland students.
A home, family and the opportunity for a lucrative career represent the American Dream desired by many. However, those basic rights are often elusive for individuals unable to find steady work due to mental illness, homelessness and other reasons often out of their control. A recent study from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, funded by the Deaconess Foundation, cites the use of legal means as a powerful strategy in securing economic stability for Northeast Ohio’s most disadvantaged citizens. The 68-page report, published last year, outlines common barriers to employment and the legal tools needed to repair a system that, for many underrepresented job seekers, is fundamentally damaged. As criminal history and lack of transportation have poverty at their root, a clear pathway to a living wage can assist individuals in bypassing these and other roadblocks, the study said. Ideally, using legal aid resources will not only put Clevelanders to work, but more importantly allow them a chance for advancement. “Teaching people about resume development and how to dress for work is valid, but if you get someone a job and they’re having trouble keeping it, there are other issues at play,� said Legal Aid Society attorney and study author Julie Cortes. Helping would-be hires requires attention from an ecosystem of people and organizations, study proponents said. Civil legal aid lawyers and
“Teaching people about resume development and how to dress for work is valid, but if you get someone a job and they’re having trouble keeping it, there are other issues at play.� — Legal Aid Society attorney and study author Julie Cortes
other members of the Cleveland legal community can fight employment barriers via direct client representation, systemic advocacy and client/stakeholder education. Direct representation, for example, may boost the prospects of a barber with a criminal record who wants to get a beautician’s license. A lawyer could have the barber’s criminal record sealed in court proceedings so their history — depending on the severity of the crime — no longer shows up on a background check. Another option is a Certificate of Qualification for Employment, or CQE, a state-legislated document allowing employers and licensing boards to hire or award professional licenses to people previously excluded from consideration. Representing a client before a judge or administrative proceeding is just one form of representation, noted Allison Rand, vice president of grantmaking and strategy at Deaconess Foundation, a private foundation in Cleveland committed to helping Cuyahoga County’s disadvantaged residents find and keep jobs. Legal intervention also takes the form of advocacy directed at infrastructural change or providing legal education to clients or regional stakeholders.
To address problems caused by a lack of transportation, an attorney could support systemic alternatives to using driver’s license suspensions for missed court dates. Meanwhile, hosting community presentations about the pitfalls of title loans would allow consumers to make informed decisions about the use of those loans. Clearing pathways represents a fundamental shift for the foundation, Rand said. In recent years, the organization sharpened its focus to explore the hurdles many jump to find better work opportunities. “We thought there would be specific, straight-ahead legal problems, but that’s not the case,� Rand said. “Housing, transportation and child care are all challenges that interfere with workforce success. This report laid out how difficult it is to get past those barriers in a way that opens up real opportunities to succeed.� Nor is entry-level work the end-all answer, particularly in a state where 34.3% of the population lives at or below 200% of the poverty level, according to 2014 statistics compiled by to the Legal Aid Society. “We went from an ‘employment entry’ foundation to becoming interested in career pathways and an es-
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tablished route to a family-sustaining wage,� Rand said. “Legal and non-legal interventions are an important aspect of barrier removal along all levels of the continuum.� There is no coordinated system overseeing the intervention process locally, but partnerships do exist between agencies trying to reach the unemployed or underemployed. Towards Employment, an organization bridging job gaps and removing work impediments for people involved in the criminal justice system, has referred clients to the Legal Aid Society, a relationship reciprocated through client-centric “know your rights� training sessions quarterbacked by the legal agency. Towards Employment staff members, among them a pair of attorneys, also assist workers with driver’s license recovery, credit debt and any number of legal issues. Considering there are about 1.9 million Ohioans with a criminal record — per Ohio Justice & Policy Center statistics — simply calling this demographic unhireable is detrimental to the state’s economy, said Bishara Addison, senior manager of policy and strategic initiatives at Towards Employment. “If we don’t give this population access to employment, we’re missing out on a significant talent pool,� Addison said. Stereotypes of the unemployed population as lazy or shiftless are not only ignorant, they’re dangerous, said Cortes of the Legal Aid Society. Ultimately, moving the underserved up the economic ladder through intervention can raise up an entire community.
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