Thread: Austin's second day labor center is open for business

Day labor site opens
Austin Business Journal - 1:19 PM CDT Thursday, July 12, 2007
Austin's second day labor center is open for business.

The center, called First Workers, is located in South Austin at 2201 East Ben White, near South Industrial Drive. The first location, at 51st street and I-35, opened in August 1999.

The new site "has some unique features," says Carole Barasch, the city's Health and Human Services public information manager. The center features a 5,000 square feet roofed pavilion area that is co-located with Midnight Rodeo, a country western dance hall. Hours will not conflict with the dance hall, says Barasch. The center's hours will be from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The north location's hours start at 5:30 a.m.

The center will be staffed with two full-time bilingual staff and an Austin Police Department officer.

The north location receives approximately 150 workers a day, says Barasch. Ninety to 100 are placed in jobs on a daily basis.

In 2006, the program placed over 25,000 day laborers. The economic value to day laborers and the Austin economy potentially exceeds 1 million dollars annually, according to Health and Human Services.

The new center is a pilot project, says Barasch. Health and Human Services will evaluate the site after its first year of operation. Among criteria used to judge its success will be how accessible the center is to workers and contractors and how well the lease agreement works with Midnight Rodeo, says Barasch.
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/austin ... ily28.html

I can't wait to see it close and the city fined.

Dixie[/i]

Austin used to be a really great city.

It would be good to find out the overall impact illegal immigration and their status as a sanctuary city has had on it.