AURORA | Aurora City Council gave initial approval to a proposal that would help a nonprofit dedicated to help African Americans connect with employers gain a foothold in the city.
Fair Share Jobs, Inc, a nonprofit formed three years ago to reduce the high unemployment rate for African Americans in Colorado, requested use of the city-owned space at 10901 E. Warren Ave. in Aurora. In return, the nonprofit said it would use the space to provide training, and provide working space for volunteers and staff.
In a letter to Aurora City Manager “Skip” Noe, Fair Share chairman James “Dr. Daddio” Walker said the organization’s primary goal is to develop a database of black workers who are ready to work in sectors that include construction, law enforcement, plumbing, electrical, teaching and hospitality management.
Tom Barrett, director of Aurora’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department, said the property is a single-family home that is being used by park rangers.
At-Large Councilman Bob LeGare, who supported the measure, said the nonprofit would benefit the city by adding diversity to its employment sectors.
“We have a policy on record that said organizations that have some nexus to the city could be eligible for use of space if it’s available in the city,” he said. “If they can help us recruit police and fire officers from the African American community, I see that as a nexus to the City of Aurora. All of the years I’ve been on council, it’s something we’ve struggled to do adequately.”
Ward V Councilman Bob Roth, who works in construction management, added that the nonprofit would benefit the city by also serving as a pipeline for bringing more African American construction workers to the city.
Some council members questioned the precedent that would be set by offering Fair Share the space. Ward VI Councilwoman Francoise Bergan said the move could drive other nonprofits to knock on the city’s door for free space.
“I don’t know if it’s an appropriate use of city office space,” Bergan said. “I don’t see the nexus as a strong correlation.” She said she would rather see the city create a program for recruiting more minority police officers.
Ward IV Councilman Charlie Richardson said he would be more comfortable approving the measure if there was a time limit for how long the nonprofit could inhabit the home.
“I would like a one-year term,” he said. “If at the end of the year, no other 501(c)3s wanted to utilize it, I could see reauthorizing the one-year term.”
Noe said the city is already providing free office space to the nonprofits Sister Cities and Visit Aurora, so the agreement would not be the first of its kind for the city.
At-Large Councilwoman Barb Cleland said the nonprofit could prove useful for also funneling workers into the future Gaylord Rockies Hotel, which is set to open in 2018 and is projected to employ 10,000 construction workers.
Council members agreed to move the issue to a regular city council session, but remained divided over the terms of the city’s lease contract with the nonprofit for the space.
Walker, who attended the study session, said he would be OK with a one-year lease.
“If we’re not successful in a year, we’ve got a problem,” he said.
In 2014, Colorado made national rankings for having one of the highest black unemployment rates at 11.5 percent, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). It followed Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan and Washington D.C. as the states with the highest black unemployment rates at the time.
November data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the black unemployment rate to be 9.4 percent– nearly double the rate of whites at 4.3 percent. According to the same BLS data, Asians had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.9 percent and Hispanics had an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent.
Blacks make up 15 percent of Aurora’s nearly 350,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.