Official: Maricopa County provides services at half the cost
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Officials at the Vista Del Camino Community Center are continuing and expanding workforce development efforts for local residents who need help finding employment as the local outreach hub has already seen 1,668 career seekers come through the front door since early July.
The Vista Del Camino Community Center, 7700 E. Roosevelt St., operates, among other things, as a senior center and social services hub for residents experiencing homelessness and providing food and economic relief for those who are in crisis, officials there say.
Scottsdale City Council Wednesday, July 7, approved a General Fund contingency transfer up to $51,478 to the Scottsdale Human Services Department to ensure the workforce development program is available through this fiscal year, which began July 1.
“The city of Scottsdale and Maricopa County began informally providing career-related services at Vista del Camino in 1998 to meet a need for residents seeking crisis assistance while unemployed or under-employed,” said Scottsdale Human Services Manager Rachel Smetana in a report to City Council. “The City Council adopted resolution No. 7607 on July 27, 2008, which established the formal relationship between the city and the county to operate and jointly manage the Vista del Camino Career Center. This cooperative relationship between the city and county had several contractual iterations.”
Since its formal adoption in 2008, Ms. Smetana reports, Vista Del Camino remains the only full-service career center in Scottsdale.
“The Vista del Camino Career Center is the only full-service career center in Scottsdale, and the mid-point in the Valley for career services between the East Valley Career Center in Gilbert and the West Valley Career Center in west Phoenix,” she said of the vital lifeline created by programs offered in the southern region of the city.
— Rachel Smetana, Scottsdale Human Services
“As clients seek social services support, Vista del Camino Career Center provides an avenue for departure from dependence on financial assistance to a path for self-sufficiency. Services range from initial assessment, resumes creation/review and, for some participants, more intensive services. Also provided are job searching, resume writing workshops, computer classes, interviewing skills classes and financial literacy programs.”
Fiscal year to date, the Vista del Camino Career Center had 1,668 career seeker contacts across all programs, Ms. Smetana reports.
“Vista del Camino has distributed over $9 million in emergency rent, mortgage and utility assistance to income eligible residents,” she said. “As emergency assistance funding returns to normal levels and multi-housing costs on the rise, the need for assistance in securing living-wage employment will necessarily increase for Vista social services clientele.”
Ms. Smetana explains the partnership with Maricopa County Workforce Development comes at half the cost of its provided services.
“Extending this agreement to provide comprehensive job search, case management, employment skills and financial literacy will assist with this transition. Further, Vista del Camino Career Center Staff will continue to work with local businesses to introduce appropriate candidates to employment vacancies,” she said. “Scottsdale’s partnership with Maricopa County Workforce Development provides comprehensive, professional employment services for 50% of the cost.”
