Government Grants for All

HUD MAP Market Studies and Appraisals

HUD MAP market studies and appraisals are prepared as a part of the underwriting process for financing multi-family housing provided by HUD. Financing provided by HUD (or FHA – Federal Home Administration) is a meaningful portion of the financing for multifamily properties. This includes both existing properties and proposed apartments. While the non-recourse aspects of HUD financing are attractive, some apartment investors are reluctant to seek HUD financing due to stories regarding extended periods to close HUD loans. HUD is an acronym for Housing and Urban Development, a department of the U.S. Government. MAP is an acronym for multi-family accelerated processing.

HUD’s MAP program was implemented to expedite HUD 221 d 4 lending programs for existing and proposed multi-family. Apartment developers particularly appreciate the non-recourse aspects of HUD financing. They also appreciate the relatively high level of leverage possible with HUD financing. Some real estate investors and mortgage brokers had become disenchanted with the time necessary to complete a HUD financing transaction. Because they had a very unfavorable experience in the past, they are unwilling to consider seeking HUD financing. This is unfortunate since the HUD loan application process has changed substantially. They were delighted with the non-recourse provisions, interest rates, loan to value ration and amortization period. Traditional bank loans require full recourse for the term of the loan. Conduit lenders have absorbed a portion of the multifamily lending previously serviced by HUD. However, the time required to close a loan made it impractical for many transactions. Financing for acquisitions must be completed in a limited period of time with a high level of certainty. Consequences for not timely closing an apartment acquisition can include loss of earnest money and loss of an attractive investment opportunity.

HUD MAP has revised the process to have borrowers obtain and organize all documentation prior to submitting an application. The previous application process was split into several stages. This bifurcated approach extended the time to approve and close a HUD apartment loan. Once HUD MAP revised the complete application and it has been submitted, the local HUD office has 30 days to review and accept or reject the application. The MAP application process has improved the time required to obtain funding for a HUD apartment loan.

Market studies and appraisals for HUD MAP are similar in concept to other market studies and appraisals. Many lenders have specific criteria for performing appraisals and market studies. Appraisers and market analysts generally perform engagements consistently with the lender’s criteria. However, it is unlikely a loan closing would be deferred due to a technical oversight in complying with the lenders appraisal or market study instructions. However in HUD MAP, there are numerous detailed criteria. Strict compliance with these criteria is mandatory. Precise and complete adherence to the HUD criteria is required. Final loan approval will not be obtained until any issues regarding the appraisal and or market study have been resolved.

O’Connor & Associates has prepared over 4,000 appraisals and market studies for apartments. Many of these have been prepared in conjunction with HUD financing. O’Connor & Associates is the largest independent appraisal firm in the southwestern US and has over 40 full-time staff members engaged full-time in valuation and market study assignments. Their expertise includes HUD MAP market studies and appraisals, HUD mark to market studies, HUD rent comparability market studies, feasibility studies, valuing real estate, business personal property, business enterprise valuation, purchase price allocation for businesses, valuation for property tax assignments, partial interest valuation, estate tax valuation, expert witness testimony, and valuation for condemnation.

O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of commercial real estate consulting services including cost segregation studies, Tips and Tricks for Appealing Your Property Taxes in Waller, Waller county appraisal, market research, property tax, and lease abstractions.

Our appraisers have experience with all types of property including department stores, research and developments, lumber storages, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, retail centers, airplane hangars, lodgings, daycare centers, hotels, truck stops, manufacturing/processing facilities, greenhouses and auto dealers.

Tags: Appraisals, Market, Studies

Starting a Recruiting Business – How to Start a Recruitment Agency

If you are seriously thinking about how to start a recruitment agency, you can be sure that it is no cakewalk, but with the proper planning, thought process, and execution, chances of a good, profitable business and success is a very high probability. For starting a recruiting business, a person needs to prepare proper business plans and predict various factors that can affect his business. He needs to take into account that there may be several economical ups and downs in the future which may prove risky to his business.

Nowadays, the income potential of a recruitment business is certainly causing many companies and independent businessmen to enter the workforce management field and earn good money. The main key for starting a recruitment business is getting connected with employers as well as the employees or candidates. The business may look fruitful on paper, but one needs to prove his practical proficiency as a middleman between the companies and applicants.

Starting a Recruiting Business

Recruitment Field Selection
The first step you need to look at is to sort out a list of all recruitment agencies in your area and determine an unfilled niche. You have to observe which all agencies are missing out on dealing in certain recruitment fields. The fields that no other recruitment agency is dealing in may be your catch. If you carry out the business in a specific field for a considerable amount of time, your business will certainly be successful as no other agency would be offering the services that you are an expert in. You may even concentrate on services that very less agencies provide, such as recruitment for the IT sector.

Selecting a Place for Recruitment
Your next step would be to start searching for an inexpensive office with an open-floor plan. After you decide on the place where the business has to be operated from; make adjustments for cubicle walls, desks, small conference tables, and other facilities required for a corporate office. You may even rent an office that has already been a corporate office before. This would surely save time and money for extra installation and adjustments in the interiors.

Candidate Data Collection
It’s very important to maintain good professional relations and contacts with employers, friends, and colleagues if you want to start off with the business smoothly. Determine if any of these contacts have some recruitment or manpower placement needs. Collect information of employees and candidates regarding their educational qualifications, trainings, and previous work experiences. If you find any requirement, start your work effectively and try to fulfill the positions to make people focus on your recruitment firm.

Recruitment Procedure Planning
Generate a standard interviewing procedure along with the employment application. The process should include a set of similar questions that would be asked to all candidates to judge their capabilities. The employment application should have fields for the candidate’s contact info, educational details, previous experience, and references if any. Conduct a thorough research on various recruitment tools and softwares that help recruiters to efficiently manage profiles and retrieve the profiles when needed. If you are specializing in technical recruiting, utilize softwares which examine the candidate’s math, logical, and programming and software development skills.

Staff Hiring
Employ recruiters and administrative assistants who have considerable amount of experience in the recruitment sector. Try to obtain contact information from them, which may be further used for establishing corporate contacts. If you have hired many employees, divide them into sections according to their roles and responsibilities. Even making teams that will engage in healthy competition with each other is a very good idea.

Other Factors
Don’t miss out on job fairs that are conducted by several companies. You may get loads of information from them, which then can be useful for your business. Encourage college students and young working professionals to submit job applications, which would certainly enable you to make a list of potential candidates. Moreover, get in touch with companies in your locality regarding any workforce requirements. Although, do not forget to look out and get in touch with companies in other states and countries too.

The success level of a recruitment agency largely depends upon the way the business was planned initially. So for starting a recruiting business, one certainly needs to create a foolproof business plan. Hard work and focus on the goals to be achieved always pays off later in the long run.

Tags: Agency, Business, Recruiting, Recruitment, Start, Starting

Small Business Consultants: Avoid Clients Using Peer-to-Peer Networks

Very small businesses, those with less than a handful of PCs, often use informal peer-to-peer networks to share files and printers. This is in sharp contrast to a more robust client/server network with a dedicated server computer, and often selected to keep costs to a minimum.

They are generally built around a consumer-oriented operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows ME.

Small Business Consultants and Peer-to-Peer Networks Don’t Mix

Although rarely utilized in the field, a business-grade desktop OS on a dedicated, business-class PC can provide a solid “happy medium” between extreme low-budget solutions and more robust (and more expensive) client/server solutions.

For small business consultants however, peer-to-peer networks are generally not a good thing – unless of course an upgrade is imminent.

Peer-to-Peer Networks Often Come With Other Problems

Since peer-to-peer networks are often selected to keep costs to a minimum, there is generally little or no budget for outside small business consultants or the owner or manager has plenty of funds, but just doesn’t “believe” in the value of technology.

Many times peer-to-peer networks go hand-in-hand with lots of other undesirable IT issues, such as a complete inattention to software licensing, data security, virus protection and data backup.

The Bottom Line about Small Business Consultants

On the flip side however, the above “IT-plagued” small business may be so fed up with the unreliable performance of their peer-to-peer network, the owner or manager may finally be receptive to your dedicated-server recommendations. And as their small business consultant, that’s your golden opportunity!

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved.

About the Author:

Joshua Feinberg can help you get more steady, high-paying computer consulting clients. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free audio training on proven computer consulting secrets from the Computer Consulting Blog now at http://www.ComputerConsultingBlog.com

Tags: Avoid, Business, Clients, Consultants, Networks, PeertoPeer, Small, Using

Cost Effective Small Business Website Development Solution

Get small business website development solution at $15-$18/hr rates. Well known India base website development company offer high quality, top accuracy and time bound small business website development services.

Need a Website Developer to create an effective Website? Confused about how to develop a successful & affordable website for your small business?

Hitech ITO offer affordable website development package for all small business. The company has expertise in all types of website development, software development and software testing services for small business. We are famous for high quality, top accuracy and time bound website development services. We have successfully done a vast amount of website development projects in UK, US, CANADA, Australia and across the world.

Save 60% on your project cost by outsourcing your website development requirement to us.

Some of our experts areas are in custom website development for small business are as follows:

-Business Web Presence – Static, Dynamic, Flash Website Development
-Database Driven Website Development
-Portal Development
-E-commerce solutions such as Shopping Cart, Online Payments
-Web based Applications such as Search engines, Chat, Email, etc
-Redesign your existing Website

We have a team of skilled designers and developers with proven experience in the field of website development to meet your website development requirements and give the best website development solution for your small business. Our dedicated team is capable to handle any types of complex projects and give the best output before deadline.

To get more information regarding our website development services for small business or if you have specific requirement email us at info@hitechito.com.

Tags: Business, Cost, Development, Effective, Small, Solution, Website

A Career in Webpage Development Through Scholarships for Mothers Program

Presently most buying and selling of anything can be done in the internet. In fact, whether it’s small-scale business or large-scale business has recognized the potent role of technology to widen business reach. Mother’s can also be part of this dynamic cyber world, by being a web page developer/designer. She may get short course training through scholarship for the mother program.

There are plenty of online-training schools that offer short-term training on learning HTML, CSS and a Scripting language. These are the basic knowledge and programming skills she needs in order to perform webpage development. She doesn’t need to study formally a degree in computer science or information technology. The topics for the web page development course are easy to learn, even by a mother.

If she opts to get a degree, this will work to her favor as well. Scholarship for the mother program is also allowing this field of study to be taken by mothers. In fact, this field of study can be supported by scholarship all the way through a master’s degree. The field of computing is very dynamic and useful to the government.

There is still really that insufficiency in a number of IT professionals even to this day. So mothers, who handed may not be full anymore because her children have gone to college. She can concurrently study too, online if she can’t physically go to a school. Anyway this kind of study doesn’t really need in person encounter with teachers.

So far, online training courses like this are not stringent to the educational background of the learner. So even if she didn’t finish high school or her college, she is eligible to take this course. Like any normal training programs, there are preliminary topics that enable her to understand the rest of the course. In other words, she can learn the course easily, her only limit is herself.

To apply this course through scholarship for the mother program, check out the selected online school. Chances are they know the process of taking their program as a scholar. Alternatively, check out with study grants at the authorized government agency for details.

**Update**

Did you know you can get a $10,000 scholarship for Moms just for registering? Apply right now for free at: Scholarships for Moms.

Tags: Career, Development, Mothers, Program, Scholarships, Through, Webpage

Advice For Starting a Small Business

If you just started a small business or are thinking about it you know that there are books and books of advice out there. While some advice can be helpful too much can be overwhelming and can make you turn away completely. Still, it’s always a good idea to listen to the wisdom of those who went before and have learned the hard way so you don’t have to. Here are the top tips for small businesses.

Use a business plan. Start by writing a detailed business plan that you can use throughout your startup and beyond. The plan should include a statement of purpose or mission statement, which can help to guide you not only on startup but also all through the business. The plan also needs to detail the finances of the business.

The finances of the business include all the expenses for the business along with the projected sales. Overheads such as rent, utilities and postage charges must all be considered as well as other key budget items such as advertising. Don’t forget about one-time fees for business startup, licenses and inspections. Another cost for all businesses is the monthly telephone charges.

Don’t skimp on insurance. Always get the full insurance coverage that you can get, even if the costs are slightly higher each month. This can help tremendously in keeping you covered for all types of events. Many small businesses have been wiped out entirely due to an accident or problem that was not covered by insurance.

Then you will need to figure out the actual material costs for your product or service. This should include any labor necessary. Don’t assume that your labor is free. This is a mistake many new small business owners make. Instead, be sure that you account for your own salary as well as the salary of any other employees that will be required.

Once you have the costs figured out you can set your pricing accordingly. Be prepared to do some market research. Always check competitors pricing to ensure that you are in line. You don’t want to be priced too high so that nobody will purchase your product or service. Likewise, you can’t be priced so low that you lose money with each purchase. Instead, take all things into consideration and price your product or service realistically while allowing for some profit.

Try to be prudent when it comes to the overheads for your business. For example, telephone service is one area that you may be able to lower the costs. There are many wholesale long distance providers where you can find good service with reasonable prices.

When making the budget always allow a category for unexpected items. These may come in the form of unexpected repairs or charges that you did not plan on. If you didn’t budget for these types of expenses the money will come right off the bottom line – profits. Instead, figure these expenses into the budget. Carry them over from month to month so that you have enough in the fund in the case of a problem. This also allows you some room for pricing changes in the event that some of your raw materials or labor prices go up.

A good business plan can get you some much-needed dollars for your business. Investors must see a business plan before they will invest money in your business. Yet investors can provide the money you need to get the business going. Banks and loan officers also must review a business plan before granting a small business loan.

If you are unsure about how to write a business plan get some help. A professional can help write a great plan for you and may be well worth the initial expense. Look at other business plans for similar businesses to get an idea of what it should be like. Finally, you can tweak the business plan as needed. Use the business plan as a roadmap to the success of your business.

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Tags: Advice, Business, Small, Starting

Subprime Mortgage is a Specialist Mortgage Product For People With Bad Credit History

If you have recently applied for a mortgage and found yourself on the rejection pile due to bankruptcy or a bad credit history, then you may find a subprime mortgage would be the one for you. A subprime mortgage loan is a mortgage that is specifically designed for people who are denied prime or standard mortgages by traditional or hard money lenders. A subprime mortgage may be suitable for people who have a poor credit rating or have difficulty proving a regular, reliable income. One of the important aspects that you may have to pay attention to is the interest rate: if it is higher than the market level, it is not a good sign. Moreover, if the level of your mortgage rate is in the 15% range and the offered interest rate is around 5%, then you could possibly be facing a subprime mortgage. Understanding a subprime mortgage and the benefits which it may offer your situation may aide you in obtaining a mortgage.

More and more people seem to need sub prime mortgages these days. This is probably because many people do not meet high street lenders’ criteria for mortgage loans. With most high street lenders, you have to have a near perfect credit report, be employed and be able to prove income, have a consistent address and credit history and show other signs of financial stability. These people benefit from the best interest rates, while rates for sub prime mortgages tend to be higher. However, not everyone has had the perfect circumstances and this is why subprime mortgages have become so important. There are several reasons why people might need sub prime mortgages. Sub prime mortgages are important for people who have had County Court Judgments (CCJs) against them. CCJs are all too easy to get in these days of rising debt. It only takes a small unpaid debt for a company to petition the court to enter a judgment against you. This means that the company has some guarantee that they will be paid. However, it does nothing at all to help your credit rating. There are several other reasons why people may need subprime mortgages. If you become ill or lose a job and are unable to make mortgage payments, then the arrears or defaults will appear on your credit record. Many people find themselves experiencing financial difficulty in the wake of relationship breakdown and may find that they just can’t make all the payments they need to make. Eventually, they may resort to sub prime mortgages to get their finances straight again.

Prime mortgages, or standard mortgages, are offered to people with good credit history. They have reasonably low fixed or variable rates of interest and few penalty clauses. A subprime loan will have a slightly higher rate of interest than a prime mortgage and may also carry some penalties for early repayment or for default. The two products are different because lenders feel they are taking a bigger risk lending money to someone who already has a bad credit history. Of course, some people may not be in financial difficulty, but may still need subprime mortgages. Many self employed people are in this category, because it can be difficult for them to prove income. They may go for a self certification mortgage, which is another of the terms for subprime loan. People who have lived out of the country may not appear on the electoral roll. Without a proven address, they may have no choice but to opt for subprime mortgages. The good news is that subprime mortgages can be used for credit repair, which means you could soon be eligible for another type of mortgage.

Tags: Credit, History, Mortgage, People, Product, Specialist, Subprime

Minority Business Grants

Funds or capital is what is required on a big scale to set up any business. Lack of funds can be detrimental to small businesses even if the business model or the basic concept of the business is brilliant. We see so many small businessmen and businesswomen close down the shutters of their shops as they find it difficult to buy products which can be sold at good rates due to lack of cash or quick bank cash credit. What these small business owners need is motivation, consistent finance and guidance regarding how to grow their business. Now, there are many private lenders available in the market who take advantage of the cash strapped small businesses and lend at very high rate of interest. It becomes extremely difficult for recently started businesses to make profits after paying so much amount as interest. Considering this need, governments across the world have come up with the unique program known as minority business grants. The grant money can be used by businesses to buy products and fund their expansion plans. So, in the next few sections, let us know in detail about the minority business grants or the small business grants for minority women.

Business Grants for Minorities

Before we know which are the minority business grants for men and women, let us first of all understand the exact difference between grants and loans. Loans are the money lent by banks as well as financial institutions and private lenders and they are to be returned back along with the interest charged on them. On the other hand, grants may not be given back to the government. Grants are mostly granted by the government organizations. Grants for women starting a small business will help you know more.

If you are looking for government grants for women, then first of all, you should definitely visit Grants.gov website. From this useful website, you will get all the details regarding which government agency is giving attractive grants for business expansion to the minority women. Though information on minority women grants is available in quite a systematic manner here, you need to keep a tab on it frequently, as the data on minority business grants is kept online during specific time of the year.

The United States of America government has taken special efforts to promote the minority businesses. The Minority Business Development Agency, which has been floated by the U.S. Department of Commerce does the task of catering to the needs of minority businesses. The minority women business grants can also be obtained through the Women Business Centers (WBC) which are present in different part of the country. Apart from finance, these centers will also help you through proper technical and fundamental guidance regarding your business which increases the chances of succeeding in it.

Minority business grants can also be obtained from foundations and institutions set up by wealthy private individuals. The selection, however is done on merit basis instead of the first come, first serve basis. Now, having known which are the minority business grants, let us know how to get the minority business grants in the next section.

Getting the Minority Business Grants

Getting the minority business grants is not that easy. First of all, there will be a lot of competition from all the eligible people. You need to initiate this process by submitting online forms wherever possible or by submitting the form in person to the concerned government office. Many a times, you need to give your income details, educational and professional information and submit documents such as age proof, nationality proof, driving licenses etc. The grants will be given only to the permanent residents. It is essential to submit the application form in time along with the documents. You should have a good business plan and be able to explain it to the authorities sanctioning the grant. The grants for women owned businesses have helped many of them to reach the topmost position and rule the business world.

Hopefully, this information on minority business grants will help you to get these grants and take your venture to an all together different level of success and prosperity. So, work hard for a safer and secure future. Good luck!

Tags: Business, Grants, Minority

Why Financial Institutions are Seeking out SaaS for Small Business Lending and Loan Origination

Proprietors of new businesses are looking to software as a service or (SaaS) for a hassle free, streamlined small business loan experience. Banks and other financial institutions that use SaaS are companies that use advanced technology like automated decisioning software to help give great loans quickly and great service.

Since the application and decisioning process for small business lending requires more multifaceted evaluation verses a personal loan like a consumer loan, banks need a system that is able to implement all types of loan processing while adhering to the complex requirements of the nations leading lenders. For companies that want to advance their current system to an automated loan origination process for easier loan and credit evaluations for their customers, they turn to SaaS companies who can deliver business software and customer service via the Internet to assist their businesses in realtime.

Why Companies are Looking to Small Business Lending with SaaS Verses Other Loan Origination Systems

The flexible development interface supports processes that use any combination of business and consumer credit, as well as other non-traditional data sources
provides every opportunity to reduce time required for human reviews, thus streamlining the loan process
SaaS software delivers fast, reliable and consistent credit evaluations based on an institution’s unique credit policy and business processes
A business looking for an instant credit decisioning solution that is robust and able to deliver realtime decisions for small business lending and credit product lines, are looking to SaaS answers for an innovative approach to deliver credit decisions in just seconds.

Reduce Costs And Improve Customer Experience

These software as a service companies intentionally automate all processes of credit decisioning and loan origination and only rely on manual steps when absolutely necessary or when required by regulation. This ensures the speediest loan origination system possible. The goal is to provide businesses with flexibility and speed-to-market results for small business lending and loan origination. And helping clients reduce their dependence on IT support/maintenance by giving financial institutions the tools to make it easy to install and easy to make changes within the system. With the Internet age making everything more and more accessible and at a faster rate than ever before, loans that use to take weeks can now take less than a day.

About the author:Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information about loan origination system go to ZootWeb.

Tags: Business, Financial, Institutions, Lending, Loan, Origination, SaaS, Seeking, Small

Labor Day Caps Recent Flurry of Activities Aimed at Improving People With Disabilities

This year’s holiday celebrations cap a recent flurry of summer activities aimed at improving meaningful employment options and outcomes for PwD.

Some signs of encouragement

In July, the nation celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation passed in the history of this country. ADA Title II & Title III (accessibility to public transportation and public accommodations) regulations are to be published in a week.

In addition, President Obama signed an Executive Order on July 26 that will help transform the disability employment landscape within the Federal Government. It calls on all Federal departments and agencies to increase the numbers of people with disabilities hired and to improve retention and return-to-work of Federal employees with disabilities. This will hopefully reverse the trend of the last 20 years that has seen a steady decline in Federal employment for people with disabilities. If accomplished, it will achieve stated White House commitments from every administration since the Clinton Presidency towards a goal of having 100,000 Federal workers with disabilities in the government workforce.

People with disabilities are used to an uphill climb while seeking employment

In August, The U.S. Department of Labor announced a solicitation for grant applications for approximately $22 million to fund programs that will improve educational, training and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. In her comments regarding the achievement of ” No workers left behind”, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said that “To be truly competitive in the global economy, we must leverage and foster the professional skills and talents of every single worker, including the millions of working-age people with disabilities across our country.” The new Disability Employment initiative is a joint project of the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration and its Office of Disability Employment Policy. For those who have worked with Federal agencies, intra-agency collaborations are a too rare common sense occurrence.

Funds will be awarded to state workforce agencies, which will collaborate with workforce investment boards and local areas.Grant awards will range from $1.5 to $6 million each to be spent over a three-year period. Cooperative agreements will be used to foster service delivery through the public workforce investment system for job seekers with disabilities.Programs will build upon the Labor Department’s Disability Program Navigator initiative and other model service delivery strategies.

These grants are investments representing “new money” specifically targeted towards people with disabilities and is a positive step forward. They demonstrate a commitment to aligning the department’s goal of helping workers in low-wage jobs, or those out of the labor market, find pathways into the middle class. Improvements in employment services for people with disabilities through these grants will help combat the unacceptably low employment rates experienced by this group. My main concerns are that many states have either eliminated or curtailed their Disability Navigator programs (it is gone in Arizona), so linkage developments through state systems will have to be rebuilt just to ramp up to becoming operational. Also, with an average annual award of $500,000 per grantee and lack of business community commitments/connections, it is not clear as to what metrics will be considered when measuring the success of the initiative.

Another grant opportunity through the Office of Disability Employment Policy which announced in August, approximately $2.3 million to fund up to four cooperative agreements ranging from $500,000 to $625,000 in support of the Add Us In initiative. Add Us In is designed to increase the ability of minority-owned, operated and controlled businesses to employ adults and youth with disabilities. Grant recipients will develop and evaluate replicable models, strategies and policies to ensure that youth and adults with disabilities from diverse communities have access to a broader range of employment and mentoring opportunities. In addition, grantees will form and strengthen connections among targeted businesses, diversity-serving, youth-serving and disability-serving organizations thereby building a national and local network of experts skilled in serving individuals with disabilities from diverse communities. There is a lot riding on the future both of these grant initiatives which are kind of “one shot” propositions.

The bar to meet eligibility requirements is complicated, but also the right kind of formula as it puts together true community-based efforts that link the public and private sectors together around compatible common goals/objectives. The priority requires that consortia applying for the cooperative agreement must have representation from each of the following four organization types: 1) An association of targeted businesses, a business association located in a target population community, targeted business entities, association of targeted businesses, association of targeted business owners or other similar entity; 2) A disability-serving organization; 3) A Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) or other organization with demonstrated experience in providing employment and training services and employment-related support services (e.g., One-Stop center); 4) and Youth-serving organization. Once the grantees are announced, it will be critical to track the progress of their efforts to develop national models that are replicable and new data to substantiate the business case for hiring qualified people with disabilities as well as the abilities of the private/public sectors to cross utilize resources effectively. These outcomes will be critical to make the case for either sustained or increased funding.

Bucket of cold water-in-face reality check

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal shares with business readers the results of the government’s first detailed look at disabled workers’ employment. The articles conclusions: the report shows American workers with disabilities are far more likely than the overall work force to be older, working part-time or jobless. A couple of individual examples of otherwise qualified and unemployed professionals were used to illustrate the data from the reports and findings.
The WSJ stated that this is the first time the government has looked closely at the employment situations of such workers.

What are the best measures to establish who is most qualified?

Scott Hamilton’s oft quoted statement”the only disability in life is a bad attitude” -meant to serve as his inspiration in recovering from cancer-sees a reverse twist in many of the reader responses for this article. In brief, the majority of respondents see nothing contradictory or unusual when they say that having disabilities means your career will automatically be limited due to you not being as productive as other workers who do not have disabilities (objection to the term “automatically limits” career potential) . I read comments that believe that this lack of productivity on the part of a PwD is just a natural discrepancy, and high levels of un/underemployment should not be viewed as discrimination (except when you are not even able to get an interview or promotion when disclosing). Other reader’s expressed that having a disability is not a temporary condition, and in these days of high unemployment with other similarly qualified workers available with no disabilities, why should we hire you? (We are a problem because we want “unreasonable considerations” or expect to be hired based on charity). When one writer reminded those expressing this opinion that we are not the disabled, but people with disability, the response was that after businesses being screwed by EEOC on race, gender, etc. the business community will not be forced by PC ideologues to make any more hiring preferences.

Still chasing the dream

These are all arguments and viewpoints expressed before (with greater or lesser degrees of vehemence), and show how much work is still to be done to provide proof that people with disabilities look for the same reasons to be hired as anyone else- they are the best available and most qualified candidates for a job, promotion, or retention. It is getting past the unreasonable bias and barriers of people who have not been convinced to think beyond the meanings of labels we use to create the categories of who is/isn’t a capable employment candidate. Community advocates and employment collaboratives must put out a consistent message that talks about building business confidence through empowering employers with best/next HR practices- not by doing charitable tokenism”favors”. The business leadership roundtables who are experiencing workplace success must redouble their efforts to share that workforce development exemplified in hiring people with disabilities strengthens their double bottom line. It is both the right thing and the smart thing to do

Tags: Activities, Aimed, Caps, Disabilities, Flurry, Improving, Labor, People, Recent