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Chapter 7: Income <br />Establish a volunteer pool of tax preparers and business students to help <br />homeless people apply for current and past federal Earned Income Tax Credits <br />(EITC). Provide training and technical assistance materials to homeless service <br />agency case managers on how to help clients apply for the EITC. <br />Support organizations serving homeless people that are developing or have <br />developed a process to provide Individual Development Accounts, which <br />encourage savings and asset building by homeless people, and provide limited <br />matching funds. <br />Topic 2 Workforce Development <br />Participation in the workforce is the primary way in which homeless people, and those at risk <br />of homelessness, can gain income and reduce their risk of repeated homelessness. But many <br />homeless people lack the skills or work experience needed to acquire and retain jobs. <br />Obtaining these skills while coping with the added daily obstacles of being without a place to <br />live is extremely difficult. In addition, many homeless people have significant other barriers to <br />work, including addiction and recovery issues; low levels of literacy; mental or physical <br />disabilities; lack of transportation; unfamiliarity with workplace rules of conduct; and abusive <br />family situations. Most workforce development programs are unequipped to handle the <br />additional needs of homeless individuals and families. The Continuum must provide <br />opportunities for homeless people to obtain the skills, experience and assistance they need to <br />enter the workforce, and the support to remain in a job. <br />• Strengthen and expand efforts to prepare homeless people to enter the workforce. <br />Action Stens <br />Increase existing homeless work force development efforts, and ensure they are <br />well funded to expand a whole range of needed services, including: outreach, <br />vocational counseling and assessment, a range of work skills training and <br />education, work readiness, a range of internship and apprenticeship <br />opportunities, work culture orientation, literacy training, resume preparation, <br />job search and placement support, Job Club activities, and follow-up to track <br />job retention. This could include establishing one of more new or branch <br />homeless work force development programs in Mid and/or South County and <br />underserved areas of North County, such as West and East Oakland. <br />Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 <br />95 <br />