Alexandria Employment Program Wins Top Honors

An Alexandria program that supports low-income families in achieving independence through employment was ranked #1 in Virginia three times during the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, the city announced this week.

The Alexandria Workforce Development Center’s Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW) program provides employment-related services to city residents who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. The program is run under the auspices of the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), according to a city statement.

VIEW participants get vocational counseling, job readiness training, job placement assistance and support services to assist with job placement and retention. VIEW focuses on the participants’ strengths and provides services to help them overcome job-related challenges, as well as personal, medical and family challenges that affect employment.

According to VDSS, Alexandria’s VIEW participants earned the highest average wages of social services clients across Virginia in January, May and June 2015, and the second highest in five additional months.

Also during fiscal 2015, the program ranked in the top 5 percent of all 120 localities in Virginia for each month of the fiscal year, and attained the ninth ranking in the state for the percentage of social services clients who retained employment for at least three months, at 86 percent.

“The VIEW program is one of many ways Alexandria supports families in need,” said Kate Garvey, the city’s director of community and human resources, in the statement. “VIEW helps promote individual dignity and workforce development, while reducing the need for public assistance.”