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COMMUNITY STORIES

Self-Employment Instead of Unemployment

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Oregon’s Self-Employment Assistance Program helps rural businesses take off.

At 10.5 percent, Oregon’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation. The figure gives the impression of a lackluster economy spread evenly throughout the state.

But the truth is there are pockets of activity surrounded by areas of economic malaise. In Burns for example, the Louisiana Pacific veneer mill closed in 2007—quickly followed by the town's other big factory, which built RVs for Monaco Motorhomes.

The state feels that giving people unemployment benefits in a town where there are essentially no jobs is an expensive exercise in futility. So the state is getting unemployed workers into a special program to try to start new businesses instead. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports. May 4, 2010
 

Kristian Foden-Vencil, Reporter/Producer, Oregon Public Broadcasting

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The Rural Economy Project

The Rural Economy Project is a partnership between community organizations and Oregon Public Broadcasting to showcase the stories of successful entrepreneurs, people trying to make ends meet, and communities working to build stable, vital economies in Oregon’s rural towns. The stories are designed to inspire sustainable community building and raise awareness of RIPPLE resources available to small business owners and the unemployed. Look for related blog posts from Rural Economy Project bloggers Lily Brislen and Bruce Sorte.