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e e e recipients. SWPIC hopes that these funds will compensate for the decline in funding from other sources. Ms. Swanson said the net result for SWPIC probably will be a shift toward delivering more services to welfare recipients. In response to questions, Ms. Swanson said SWPIC networks regularly with other community service providers and makes reports to the school districts and Lane Community College. Mr. Boles said he would have appreciated more detail in the report to provide as much information and bac~ground as possible. Mr. Holmer asked Ms. Swanson to respond to a claim in a recent letter to The Register Guard that the enterprise zone has not created any jobs. Ms. Swanson said the key question in this debate is whether a company (such as Swenson Brothers) would have located in Eugene anyway--that is, even if the enterprise zone did not exist. She said that economic development--the efforts of local communities to attract developments to their area--is a very competitive business. Because of the intense competition, every advantage that a community can offer is important; and it is the complete package of advantages that determine whether a company will locate in a community. She said the enterprise zone, by itself, cannot create jobs; however, it does play an important part in the City's entire effort to attract economic development. Mr. Boles referred to the statement in the semiannual report that SWPIC's adult job training program had an entered-employment rate of 88 percent for the past six months. He said this statistic, while important, needs to be complemented with a statistic regarding how long these people remain employed. Ms. Swanson agreed, saying that SWPIC is trying to collect better information regarding the duration of employment for the people it serves. SWPIC does conduct 90-day follow-up surveys, which have shown a fairly good retention rate: of those who entered employment, about 80 percent are still employed after 90 days. Mr. Boles asked about SWPIC's cost per client. Ms. Swanson estimated that $2,000 to $3,000 is spent, on average, for each person that SWPIC serves; of course, some programs are more expensive per client than others. For adults, SWPIC's entered-employment rate is about 70 or 75 percent; and roughly 80 percent of the youth that are served exit the program in an acceptable manner (that is, by returning to school or obtaining a job, depending on the particular case). Ms. Swanson said that over the long term, SWPIC expects to serve fewer clients, but in a more comprehensive manner. She added that job training programs, though they have short-term costs, have much greater long-term benefits because they help people become economically self-sufficient. Mr. Bennett mentioned the high cost to the community when people are not economically self-sufficient. In response to a question from Mr. Green, Ms. Swanson said the funds for the Summer Youth Employment Program are used to pay a youth's wage at a summer job. This summer work experience is intended to teach basic work skills and MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session March 6, 1989 Page 2