Searching for America's Forgotten Jobless

On a Tuesday mid-morning, five people stand next to a white Winnebago parked at the New Bethel Baptist Church in northwest Washington, D.C., waiting for the doors to open. Inside, there are 10 Dell computer consoles with Internet hookups, wood paneling, and bungee cords to keep the office chairs from rolling around as the vehicle moves.

The city-owned Winnebago is known as the Mobile One-Stop Career Center. Since September it has parked itself in front of dozens of churches, recreation centers, and libraries throughout the city’s eight wards, looking for jobless people and promising help. “The most surprising thing is the length of time people have been out of work,” says Hugh Bailey, head of satellite operations for Washington’s Employment Services Dept., whose workers operate the mobile jobs center. “We ask, ‘How long have you been out of work?’ and may hear three, four, or five years.” Teresa Johnson, 56, hasn’t had a full-time job since April 2005, when she was earning $5.25 an hour as an administrative assistant and secretarial trainee. “It’s very frustrating,” she says. “I do a lot of praying. You go through a lot of headaches, and it wears you down.”