AUSTIN, Texas — Austin's SAFE Alliance raised its minimum wage to $15 per hour hoping to keep more employees. SAFE's co-CEO Kelly White said after years of a low employee retention rate, this is attracting more employees.
"We have a lot of folks that work on the front lines that are taking care of kids that are angry and traumatized and difficult sometimes, and we have staff that works 24/7," said White. "We serve a diverse community. So we’re always searching for a diverse workforce."
A new study claims minimum wage employees have a hard time living in Austin. Magnify Money found that Austin is the least affordable major U.S. city for minimum wage employees to live.
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"They really want to work here, but they can't work here if they can't afford a place to live, if they can't put food on the table. It just takes a lot to live in Austin, Texas," said White.
They said it was a message to their community that they'll invest in their employees and recognize the difficult work they do. Last year, SAFE employee retention rates improved significantly.
In 2018, for all SAFE staff, their turnover rate was 36.5%. But, in 2019, that turnover rate for all staff fell to 24.2%, a 12.3% decrease. They're trying to determine what caused that improvement, but they believe it's the improved wages.
"It was a leap of faith. It was a leap in dollars. It was a leap for many people as far as what they were making," said White. "My hat is off to our board of directors who really really pushed that through."
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SAFE’s Chief Human Resources Officer Movetia Salter said in a press release, “There are a number of factors that could have resulted in better retention. We are certainly hiring more people, but we are working hard to recruit and hire the right people – which makes all the difference.”
They said the SAFE staff size seems to grow each year. In 2019, the agency had 397 staff members.
One employee stated in the press release, “I’m a survivor. I want to give back, to support, educate and empower other survivors.”
And another advocate counselor for SAFE said, “Change is happening in my office with my clients. One person in this moment.”
If you know of someone that is interested in working for SAFE, you can visit the Work At SAFE page or call them at 512-267-7233.
If you or someone you know may be a victim of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault or sex trafficking, they ask you to contact their SAFEline by phone at 512-267-SAFE (7233), by text at 737-888-7233, or by online chat.
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