Journal of Vocational Behavior, 4, 115-124 (1974)

An Action-Research Approach to Central City Unemployment’

SAMUEL E. BOWSER Navy Personnel Research and Development Center

GARY SHERMAN and R. HUGH WHISLER Humanistic Psychological Center

This research was undertaken to approach the specific problem of unemployment in the central city by implementing an approach with a dual emphasis. The fist emphasis was to develop the individual’s abilities to locate and to apply for existing job openings. The second emphasis was to help the person acquire the self-assurance necessary to utilize these new skis.

The results indicate that the training obtained did help the men to view themselves as productive or valuable working persons. It would seem that the men who actually completed the project have been given a boost toward economic and personal success. It is apparent from the results on job placement as well as attitude change that the project was successful.

Problems involving the central cities are manifest, both for the inhabitants and the larger community. These areas are primarily the blighted, poverty ridden sections of major cities which are currently receiving attention from urban planners. One of the problems having particular significance is hard core unemployment. While employment problems in general have been discussed, a population which seems to have been passed over are the men who most specifically congregate in the central city.

VanderKooi (1969) views attempts at general solutions to the central city problems as having gone through a series of generations. The first generation solutions were primarily demolition programs for complete clearance as represented in Detroit (VanderKooi, 1969) and Minneapolis (Fortune, 1967). Second generation program goals were relocation typified by Philadelphia (Blumberg, L., Shipley, T. E., Jr., Shandler, I. W., & Niebuhr, H., 1966). Third generation programs show an increasing tendency to deal with skid rows where they stand (VanderKooi, 1969).

IReprint requests should be directed to: S. E. Bowser, Navy Personnel Research and Development Center (Code 9032). San Diego, California 92152.

115

Copyright 0 1974 by Academic Press, Inc. AU rights of reproduction in any form reserved.

116 BOWSER, SHERMAN, AND WHISLER

TABLE 1

Unattached Men’s Center Employment Table

Months Employable wel- No. referred to No. in 1969 fare applicants employment unit placed Percent

January 4292 873 59 7

February 3950 781 56 7

March 4412 531 33 6

April 2949 427 41 10

May 1982 2.57 12 5

June 1494 281 29 10

Mean percent of employables referred to employment unit-16%. Mean percent of referred employables placed on a job-7%.

Probably no skid row or central city project undertaken to date has been a significant success. VanderKooi (1969, p. 73) states that urban renewal in many cities is losing favor with people precisely because of the concern with the physical and economic development of the area, rather than improving the lives of those who live within the area. As a consequence of urban renewal, the dispersal of persons in skid row to other areas works a hardship both on those who become relocated and on the host community. Urban renewal as a prime mover has not been beneficial for many of the persons in the central city.

Innovative approaches are obviously needed. One suggestion which has been offered (VanderKooi, 1969) is to upgrade the central city community itself, thereby directly affecting the residents.

The Unattached Men’s Center (UMC) of the Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services is the principal county agency administering social services to the Los Angeles central city which included skid row. This agency serves a population which consists of single, unattached men who are, for the most part, chronically unemployed.

The function of the agency is to provide general relief services. These take the form of in kind aid for food, shelter and clothing. The goal of the agency is to provide aid until such time that the client can mobilize his own resources and begin functioning independently. The UMC, as is the case with many welfare agencies, is not meeting its goals and in fact finds itself caught in the all too familiar process of fostering welfare dependency.

As one of its many functions the agency has made attempts at providing its clients with a job placement resource within the limitation of existing programs. Its records reflect a picture generally consistent with past efforts in this area, as illustrated in Table 1.

TREATINGUNEMPLOYMENT 117

The failure to provide an effective employment program becomes additionally meaningful if viewed within the context of existing community employment resources in the central city. The Los Angeles central city community, not unlike such communities across the nation (Wallace, 1968) has particular employment referral systems operating within the community. The main employment resources ace: Temporary Labor Offices, the California Department of Human Resources Development, and “on the street hiring.”

These resources, while successful in providing some income, have obvious shortcomings. The individual is generally neither paid enough money nor on the job long enough to obtain any degree of social mobility. While holding other factors constant, i.e., alcoholism, psychopathology, etc., the person is caught in an economic trap which is viciously circular. This system provides the employer with a constant source of cheap labor which is minimally effective and at the same time gives the individual resident an accessible job market which leads nowhere. The circular nature of this economic environment has a delibitating effect for the central city resident and the community.

The Career Clinic was undertaken to approach the specific problem of unemployment by implementing an approach with a dual emphasis. The first emphasis was to develop the individual’s abilities to locate and to apply for existing job openings. The second emphasis was to help the person acquire the self-assurance necessary to utilize these new skills. The Career Clinic attempted to build upon the individual’s strengths and to capitalize upon the human resources which exist within this specific population.

The Career Clinic represents a demonstration and research project executed by Robert G. Dease & Associates for the Downtown Service Bureau on a Wheat Ridge Foundation grant at the Unattached Men’s Center with the cooperation of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services.

METHOD

Subjects

The research aspect of the project began with an individual being referred to the employment unit at the UMC by a caseworker. Three days per week the individuals referred to the employment unit were given an extensive and structured interview. The purposes for this procedure were to obtain from the employable applicants to the agency a sample as free as possible from systematic bias, and to provide sociological data on each individual for research analysis. Each man was then asked to report to the project office located in a warehouse structure a short distance from the agency.

118 BOWSER, SHERMAN, AND WHISLER

Procedure

The man reporting to the project office was asked to take a battery of psychological and attitudinal tests. These tests were to provide a basis for measuring attitudinal and self-image changes expected to occur as a result of program participation.

The four criterion measures used for the project were: (1) two Anomie scales, which determine the extent to which an individual endorses attitudes of being excluded and alienated from the general society; (2) Situational Appraisal Inventory (SAI), which is a measure of the individual’s acceptance of conventional standards of moral evaluation; (3) Self-Evaluation Question- naire (SEQ) which ascertains the individual’s attitudes towards himself as a working productive person; (4) the Adjective Check List (ACL) is an instrument which consists of a number of subscales which measure the individual’s image of himself in a number of different areas. For purposes of analysis we will consider the subjects’ self-image in general, as an intelligent person, and as a worker.

Additional information was gathered for future research analysis through the use of standard psychological instruments: the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, California Psychological Inventory, Edward’s Personal Preference Schedule, and the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. Upon completion of the tests, the individuals were asked to return on the following Monday in order to be potentially eligible for the project. From the men who returned a random selection of 12-15 was made to begin the first phase of the program each week.

Once selection had been made, the program then implemented the “Dease Approach” a system of instruction developed by Robert J. Dease & Associates over their ten years of experience as an executive career consultant firm. During the past several years, Mr. Dease has been involved in the application of his approach to social problem areas related to unemployment, i.e., men released from prison.2

The program can be broken down into five basic phases. Phase I. The men were taught how to search their employment back-

ground for hidden assets, abilities, productive job performance, and other positive factors. Inherent in the process was the expectation that the men would develop a more positive self-image and a new self-awareness. They learned how to interpret past job performance in terms of its positive value. Group participation was essential to facilitate this process.

2 Robert G. Dease and Associates have conducted a project for the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons at the Community Treatment Center in Los Angeles and the Federal Correctional Institution at Terminal Island both during 1967.

TREATINGUNEMPLOYMENT 119

Phase ZZ, The men were taught how to relate their experience and job performances to the employment with the most potential for them. This helped them arrive at specific industries, companies, services, and categories of employers where their abilities could be applied. At this point the men began to develop employment goals.

Phase ZZZ. The men were taught to compare their job background and employment potential with their personal job choice to arrive at a specific and realistic job objective. Each man was then taught how to prepare a written resume which emphasized his most positive features in relation to his employment objective; each man was also taught to write a brief cover letter. As in each of the other phases this was accomplished in a group setting. This group process was expected to reinforce self-image and attitudinal change in the man, while also serving to improve verbal skills relating to his employment history and objective. The cover letter and resume were reproduced via a Robotyper service paid for by the project.

Phase IV, The men were instructed in how to build a mailing list of between 100 and 125 names of employers in the field of their job choice to whom they sent their resumes and letters. After the mailing lists were done and materials mailed, the men were coached on other principal methods of finding jobs and handling employment interviews. Great emphasis was put on handling a telephone interview since this is the typical way for an employer to make initial contact with the men. Role playing techniques were used to implement both forms of interview instruction.

Phase V. The men responded to telephone calls and letters which came in each day from potential employers. The project developed its own answering service and mailing address for this purpose. If this were not done potential employers would become aware of the individual’s status (welfare recipient) and chances of being stigmatized would increase, reducing his chance for employment. This final phase was supported by daily group meetings and individual support from the social work staff. The support was critical since the men would presently be making the transition to full-time employment.

Attempts were made to utilize community resources as well as those of the project to provide follow-up services for the men placed by the clinic. It was expected that the men would need to talk about the problems they would face on the job. They would also need support and direction in order to gain the satisfactory adjustments leading to long-term employment. The project attempted to meet these follow-up needs.

The career Clinic was undertaken in May of 1969 with funding for six months, the first four months concerned with conducting the project and the last two months devoted to evaluation.

120 BOWSER, SHERMAN, AND WHISLER

RESULTS

The complete data reduction and analysis of the material from this project will take considerable time. A preliminary analysis has been conducted in order to discover possible trends in the results. The subjects have been divided into two main groups: The NP group (nonparticipants) which repre- sents those individuals who were interviewed and tested but did not take part in the training project; these represent 462 subjects. The PS (project starters) group consists of those individuals who started the training project; their number is 179. All individuals who were tested were asked to return on the next Monday. A random selection was made from those who returned for the PS group. The PS group has aspects of both random and self-selection. This latter group is subdivided into subgroups. The first subgroup DP (dropped project) consists of those who started the project but dropped out before it was completed; there are 60 in this category. The second subgroup CP (completed project) consists of those who completed the project; these number 119, Comparisons will be made between all four of these divisions. It should be pointed out that a similarity between NP and PS is expected if sampling procedures were generally unbiased and hopefully differences between DP and CP will be found in order to give us clues to the reasons for failure and/or dropouts. The reported reasons for dropping out ranged from drunkenness to complete loss of contact with the individual, that is his failure to report to us or the agency. Few of the DP group are known to have found jobs. The real test of the project are the placement results.

The placement results show that 42% in the PS group secured employ- ment. The placement of the NP group was consistent with the agency record, it was about 7%. No placement was recorded for the DP group. It should be noted that 34% dropped out (DP group) before completing the project and, therefore, of those completing the project, 83% are known to have secured employment. Considering the CP group, 51% were hired within 14 days after group training; 83% of these accepted a position equal to or better than their best previous job, with an average increase of $104.36 per month.

Analysis of the available data indicates that the NP and PS groups have a general similarity, but there are areas of difference between these two groups. The differences are of such a nature as to justify an extensive discussion of self-selection factors in a separate paper to be presented later; only a brief presentation of these factors will be made at this time.

The methodology of the project was such that all individuals who were illiterate were excluded from the project and the data completely; this accounted for only approximately five individuals. The procedure of asking the individual, after being tested, to return the coming Monday contributed to the self-selection process that did occur. The remaining selection process was

TREATINGUNEMPLOYMENT 121

of a random nature and consisted of picking individuals from the group which returned on Mondays by a number drawing method.

The self-selection process made itself known in several areas. The sociological data showed difference in three general areas. The areas of difference were intellectual, institutional experience (positive and negative), and background variables. The intellectual area was characterized by the PS group having slightly more education on the average and their mean IQ as estimated by MMPI subscale was four points- higher than the NP group. The institutional experience factor was such that the PS group had more institu- tional experiences (positive and negative), than did the NP group. This included such things as military experiences and time in mental hospitals. The third area of background variables included the fact that the greater percent- age of PS individuals were raised by both parents together than were the NP group. The socioeconomic status of the individuals who raised the NP group was on the average lower than that of the PS group.

The other areas of difference obtained from the testing procedures generally support the findings in the sociological data. The average for all groups indicate feelings of anger and hostility towards authorities or society in general, combined with feelings of exploitation or persecution by others and feelings of alienation and aloneness. Essentially these groups could be described as character disorder types. However, the PS group shows less indication of alienation, helplessness, and depression than the NP group and in general seem to be psychologically healthier. One would expect a more effective level of functioning from the PS group and the sociological data tends to support this view.

The criterion measures to be used for comparing the individuals at the beginning and end of the training also show differences between the NP and PS groups. The results of analysis of variance between these groups on the seven measures is presented in Table 2. The results indicate that the PS group has a more positive self-image and is less alienated than the NP group as a whole. This confirms findings from other areas already presented.

The comparison of the criterion scores at the beginning of the project and after the individuals had completed training was accomplished via a repeated measures analysis of variance technique. The results of this analysis are shown in Table 3. There were significant changes in self-image and attitudes toward self obtained. The general trend of the other means was in the direction expected by the project.

The process utilized in the project was effective in changing the individuals who completed the training. A different measure of results can be seen in the following quotations from some of the individuals who benefited from this project.

“The resume is a door opener for you. People look at you with respect

122 BOWSER, SHERMAN, AND WHISLER

TABLE 2

Criterion Measures Nonparticipant versus Project Starters

Test Degrees of

Means freedom Anova

NP PS Vl v2 F-ratio Probability

Anomie I 9.3404 8.8914 1 499 3.6185 .05446 Anomie II 29.1067 27.5171 1 501 4.8788 .02593 SAI 148.6583 154.1875 1 493 1.4653 .22439 SEQ 15.7893 15.9367 1 490 0.1124 .73710 Adjective check list General self-image 88.4028 91.9691 1 443 6.7262 .00959 Intellectual self-image 24.1460 24.2662 1 463 0.0316 .85319 Worker self-image 36.7566 37.9691 1 463 3.1756 .07166

TABLE 3

Criterion Measures Beginning and Ending Project

Test Means Degrees of freedom Anova

CP-before CP-after Vl v2 F-ratio Probability

Anomie I 8.8750 8.5138 1 71 1.5722** by subjects 71 71 2.3499

Anomie II 26.6250 25.5694 1 71 2.8767** by subjects 71 71 5.7709

SAI 145.8889 149.2916 1 71 0.5978 by subjects 71 71 3.4425

SEQ 15.4861 17.5694 1 71 15.9898* by subjects 71 71 1.8621

Adjective check list General self-image 96.1395 95.0697 1 42 0.3867

by subjects 42 42 2.9357 Intellectual self-image 23.7674 27.1860 1 42 16.3555*

by subjects 42 42 3.2127 Worker self-image 38.4418 40.8373 1 42 7.4948*

by subjects 42 42 5.0629

*Significant change indicated if probability is less than .Ol. **Evidence of trend in expected direction.

.21074

.00034

.09041

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.55183

.00001

.00035

.00499

.54432

.00053

.00043

.00024

.00886

.00001

TREATING UNEMPLOYMENT 123

when they read them. They figure this guy has something on the ball and would make a good employee.”

“I wish to express my appreciation to the Career Men’s Center for the time and hours spent in the help of building up my self-confidence, and ability to present myself in a proper and strong manner.”

“I think this program has helped me in more ways than one . . . I started off on it with the idea of getting my rent paid for a while. But after a week or so, I thought maybe it could help me find a good job, and now I believe I have it . . . I got a lot out of it, and gained confidence in myself, also found out there are people who care.”

DISCUSSION

The results indicate that the training obtained in the Career Clinic did help the men to view themselves as productive or valuable working persons. It would seem that the men who actually completed the project have been given a boost toward economic and personal success.

It is apparent from the results on job placement as well as attitude change that the Career Clinic was successful, that is to say the direction of change in attitude and improvement in job placement was in a socially desirable direction. Efforts now are necessary to make the Career Clinic approach widely effective. This might be done by establishing an ongoing Career Clinic or by using Career Clinic principles in other projects and programs.

Further analysis will be made to determine the factors involved in why some individuals dropped out of the project once it got started. The availability of this kind of training is very limited and all factors that affect it need to be explored. Since this approach seems to be effective, analysis of future projects in light of what we have learned is imperative.

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Blumberg, L., Shipley, T. E., Jr., Shandler, I. W., & Niebuhr, H. The development, major goals and strategies of a skid row program: Philadelphia. Quarterly Journal Studies of Alcohol, 1966, 27, 242-258.

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Received: December 7, 1972.