Jubilee Jobs in a New Century

By Terry Flood
Jubilee Jobs Co-Founder and first Executive Director

Gordon Cosby (middle) sitting with applicants during orientation.

Jubilee Jobs entered the 21st century with a networked system of computers on every desk and our own applicant database which we named JUBI. We renovated our office and opened a satellite networked office in partnership with the Perry School Community Services Center at 128 M Street, NW.

On the morning of Wednesday, September 12, 2001, Thomas sat in the waiting area of Jubilee Jobs weeping, his head in his hands. “I don’t know what to do. I was at my job at the airport yesterday when the plane hit the Pentagon. Where should I go?” Thomas had been thrilled with his job, giving him dignity and purpose after many years of homelessness. Not knowing what to do, he had come to Jubilee Jobs for comfort and help. We were stunned and afraid too, along with the rest of the world.

This was as Jubilee Jobs moved into our third decade. Anxiety from the attack on 9/11 and subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq War permeated the community. In addition, many returning citizens began writing to us from prison and then coming for jobs once released. Job Counselor Bobby Barnes, himself an ex-offender, led this initiative. Almost half of our applicants were returning citizens.

We became a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site for the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2004, making desperately needed benefits available for the working poor. During its first year, our VITA site, staffed completely by volunteers except for the coordinator, helped 156 hardworking applicants receive $136,273 as a bonus from the Federal government.

The Great Recession began in 2007, sending hundreds of desperate applicants to our Monday orientations - over 3,700 in one year. Gordon Cosby, Jubilee Jobs Founding Board Member at the time and founder of Church of the Saviour, came each Monday because he needed “to feel the deep pain in our city.” People arrived, often early, from everywhere. We knew we had to open a second office. During these tumultuous days, the caring of the larger community never wavered, and we were able to open a second office in Southeast Washington on Good Hope Road, adding three more staff persons.

The effect of the Great Recession continued for the next four years, beginning to slow down in 2014. The need and the marketplace began to change. Jubilee Jobs kept listening to the deepest needs among the unemployed and working poor. We wanted to discover how to make Work for Sustenance, Dignity, and Hope a reality in this new age.

Also read:

Forty Years Ago

1980s: The Early Years

The 90s at Jubilee Jobs