Empowered DC Community Spells Hope
Southwest Neighbors Band Together to Ensure Renewed Ward 6 Success
Augustus Ford, O. Xavier Hixon, and Harvey Johnson III contributed to this article.
A new chapter in the economic revitalization of Ward 6 has begun with UPO and other groups sparking a much needed economic boost to the southwest community with the creation of The Near Southeast/ Southwest Workforce Steering Committee. Southwest Washington, one of the District of Columbia’s early urban renewal communities, has seen signi?cant change over the decades, some positive, some in the adverse. Still, the quadrant’s neighborhoods have endured, even with a few odd nuisances along the way. To ensure the neighborhoods that make-up 12-percent of the city’s population ultimately bene?t from new real estate development and upgrades, an ad-hoc group made-up of seven partnering organizations formed, chaired by Dana M. Jones, UPO’s chief executive of?cer. The Ward 6 initiative calls for improved community services, particularly in the area of workforce development, including assisting in staf?ng of positions associated with the major league Washington Nationals Baseball club. Along with UPO, other partnering organizations in this collaboration are District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, Southeastern University, Southwest Washington Family Strengthening Collaborative, Community Bene?ts Coordinating Committee, and PN Hoffman, a local real estate ?rm. Other groups partnering in the highly successful effort include the Near SW/SE Community Center, Workforce Development Steering Committee, Community Bene?ts Corporation Coordinating Committee, ANC 6D, SW Neighborhood Assembly, and the Tenant Resident Council.
JUNE 2008
Attending session are, Susan O. Gilbert, DC Dept. of Employment Services (DOES), (under clock); (moving clockwise) Demetries Saunders, DOES; Ruth Hamilton, CBCC, Naomi Mitchell, representing Ward-6 Councilmember Tommy Wells; Steve McCoy, South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative; Rich Bardash, Community Bene?ts Coordinating Committee; Sam Tramel, South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative; Dana M. Jones, UPO CEO; Ron McBee, ANC Commissioner 6D; Latorey Webb, UPO; and O. Xavier Hixon, UPO.
Signs of the initiative’s success are beginning to bear fruit. Hundreds of applicants from Ward 6 and surrounding communities, poured into the King-Greenleaf Recreation Center to complete a battery of prescreening applications expressly for employment at the Washington National’s Stadium. More than 300 of the 481 employment applicants reside in Ward 6. The pre-screening session, assisted by providing economic assistance to the residents in the Ward. The Committee’s vision is to create a Near Southeast/Southwest Workforce Development Community Center that will provide access to occupational training and support services along with meaningful employment opportunities to Ward 6 residents. Additionally, the Center will advance the economic well-being of its customers by serving as the focal point for workforce development initiatives.
UPO’s Chief Executive Of?cer Dana M. Jones chairs Near Southeast/Southwest Workforce Steering Committee.
The Center will implement programs in one location, integrating employment, training, education, and economic development services for job seekers, workers, and employers. The Committee also will serve as a Roundtable for addressing issues and providing resources to the Ward 6 community. Meetings are held regularly in the neighborhood’s Southeastern University campus.
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