Got work? Center helping elders, trans find employment

Jobs are notoriously hard to come by if you’re trans or an elder. And in the current economic climate it can even be more difficult to find work. But the GLBT Community Center of Colorado is working toward, well, putting people to work.

The Center’s SAGE of the Rockies and Trans Career Advancement Project are two programs community members who are unemployed can utilize to help them find jobs.

Shari Wilkins, who heads up the SAGE program, said The Center offers elders basic computing courses, tech classes related to resume writing and online resources and one-on-one appointments to determine skill set relevance and interview tips.

The Center is also working with AARP and its work search program that provides access to a broad spectrum of employment opportunities, she said.

Wilkins said elders looking to re-enter the workforce after retirement or because they were laid off need to know a couple of things.
“Be patient,” she said. “Know that you bring a wealth of experience to the workplace, but know you must also be willing to listen and learn in this new job market.”

In decades past, employees and employers forged life-long bonds. Not so true, today.

“Jobs have changed and the career you previously experienced may not even exist at this point in time,” Wilkins said.
Why might gay or lesbian seniors need to return to the workforce?

First, 75 percent of current elders will age alone. Moreover, 90 percent do not have children and many elders have lost their biological families as a result of being gay or lesbian, Wilkins said.

And according to statistics compiled by the SAGE USA, a nationwide organization for LGBT elders, lesbian couples experience a greater level of poverty than gay male couples or heterosexual couples and while straight couples experience a poverty rate at 4.6 percent, senior gay couples have a 4.9 percent poverty rate and senior lesbian couples have a 9.1 percent poverty rate.

“When this generation was coming of age, women could either be a teacher, assistant or a nurse,” Wilkins said. “There was little to no chance to accumulate wealth.”

The Center’s SAGE program is also helping those close to retirement plan for it so they aren’t faced with the necessity of returning to work in their twilight years.

“In collaboration with AARP and other providers, we offer sessions related to Medicare and Medicaid,” Wilkins said. “We we will be offering assistance to elders interpreting the new health care reforms, too.”

SAGE also has a referral list for elder attorneys and estate planners.

And not all elders who are worried about money need to look for a job, Wilkins said.

SAGE is a pilot site for a new program, AmeriCorps 50+ Serving 50+ which pays volunteers a stipend. A similar program, Senior Companion provides training and a small stipend to volunteers who work to assist in locating appropriate benefit programs for seniors, Wilkins said.

Meanwhile, Courtney Gray, The Center’s trans advocate, is working toward two job fairs in 2012 for the trans community.

The Center hosted the first non-costal trans job fair earlier this year. It was a success, according to Gray.

“We provide preparedness workshops on resumes and interview skills,” she said. “We want them geared up.”

Part of the job fair is vetting companies to make sure they are both actively hiring and have a robust non-discrimination policy that is trans inclusive.

Five employers and 65 potential employees participated in the 2011 fair.

Two of the biggest challenges facing the trans community are jobs and health care and the latter is usually a condition of the prior, Gray said.

“Employed people generally get health insurance,” she said.

But there are more unique needs for trans folk who are looking for jobs, Gray said.

“You really need to have a plan on how to handle employers who aren’t knowledgeable about trans issues,” she said. “Your resume might read Jane, but your prior employer may need to check your references as John.”

While Colorado does have a trans-inclusive employment non-discrimination act it lacks “teeth,” or remedies for those fired for being trans and retribution for companies that break the law.

Gray also suggested neither an employer nor a potential employee should focus on a persons transition.

“In the job market your gender identity shouldn’t be an issue,” Gray said. “Display your skills. You shouldn’t dwell on it.”