Inside the Black Box - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Collective Advocacy Efforts
Most organizations in this study acknowledged they are not only actively advocating for their particular
programs but are involved in collective advocacy efforts at local, state, and federal levels. Several
interviewees noted they work with other workforce programs, the Chicago Jobs Council, or advocacy
organizations to communicate their policy and funding concerns to legislators. One program
administrator, whose program works with the homeless, noted they engage in advocacy not only to
promote workforce training but also to prevent homelessness. This same organization also works with
local community organizing agencies to focus on economic development and housing issues.
As part of these collective advocacy efforts, organizations often tell their stories and write letters to
legislators when policy decisions are being made, to inform them of challenges and potential
consequences of their decisions. One interviewee said:
I just look at, when legislative decisions are being made, who are they really impacting. And trust me,
we told our story. We wrote. Our clients were writing letters. We asked them to. But it’s the biggest
challenge, when these decisions are made. I wish they would take some of our input there.
Policy Challenges
Despite active advocacy efforts by staff, the organizations in this study face several policy challenges,
including management and accountability of public workforce funds.
One common challenge noted by several interviewees is WIA management and accountability outcomes.
Specifically, they would like to see management of WIA programs improved; they find the management
of the programs to be complicated and overly focused on auditing and financial reporting. However, they
acknowledge that state and local agencies are limited in their ability to act since changes would need to be
made in federal legislation.
Several organizations noted that it has been challenging to continue to achieve program goals under the
current economic circumstances, which may not be taken into account by funders. One of their challenges
is educating lawmakers about the positive aspects of programs, since lawmakers often make judgments
based on seeing select statistics that may not accurately tell the whole story.
Finally, one program administrator noted the lag in legislation passage and enforcement on the ground.
Enacting legislation takes time; by the time laws are enacted, other changes in the landscape may have
occurred to make this “new” legislation a mismatch for the current environment. This delay forces them
to rely on private funders since the private dollars are more flexible and able to be used with the current
need.
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