Workforce Housing and Engaging the Business Community

NAR presentation

12/1/05

Todd Cohen

tcohen@uschamber.com

U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Workforce Preparation

• Non-profit affiliate of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• Dedicated to developing workforce and education strategies for businesses, chambers of commerce and communities to hire, retain, and advance skilled workers in the 21st century.

• Position local and state chambers to play leadership roles in workforce initiatives.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Workforce Preparation

Membership:

• 2800 state and local chambers of commerce

• 3M businesses

2004 Symposium: Workforce Housing and Business Engagement

Employer Interest in WF Housing

Businesses will champion this issue when they see its direct impact on:

• Recruitment

• Retention

• Worker Productivity

• Firm Relocation

2800 State and Local Chambers of Commerce

Current levels of their “engagement” in WF Housing:

CHAMPIONING Identified it as business/ec dev concern and working

actively toward addressing it [2-3%]EXPLORING Identified it as a business/economic

development concern – lack info [10- 14%]

AWARENESS Aware of a problem – have not made the connection to their

bottom lines [50-60%]

Chamber of Commerce Involvement- Emerging Models

• Promoting EAH Programs (Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce)

• Local policy development/advocacy– Regulatory barrier removal (SF Chamber of Commerce)– Housing trust fund (Greater Sarasota Chamber of

Commerce) – Density bonuses (San Diego Regional Chamber of

Commerce)

• General public awareness campaigns (Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce)

Deeper Employer Engagement? Two Important Next Steps

Research • What is the impact of housing

shortages/costs on employee recruitment, retention, productivity, and company relocation?

Capacity-Building• Peer-to-peer learning, toolkits, training

sessions