House Candidate Tara Martinez: A Job Should be a Path out of Poverty

By Tara Martinez, Independent Candidate for West Virginia House District 54

West Virginia needs workforce development reform.

One of the most powerful paths out of poverty is empowerment through employment. And I’ve seen that firsthand repeatedly throughout my career. Unfortunately, West Virginia has the lowest workforce participation rate of any state.

That’s not because our people lack work ethic, talent or determination. Too often, what’s missing is a clear path to opportunity.

“West Virginia needs workforce development reform.”

– Tara Martinez.

I’m running for the West Virginia House of Delegates to build that path for Charleston and the rest of our state. 

For more than 20 years, I’ve worked somewhere between government programs and the people they’re supposed to help. I’ve specialized in workforce development, disability employment, grants management and more. 

Along the way, I learned that a good job is about more than a paycheck. It gives people choices. It builds confidence and stability. It lets families plan for tomorrow, instead of simply trying to survive today. 

But we also have to recognize that people don’t experience their lives one government program at a time. 

A mom who wants to take a better-paying job might need affordable childcare first. An unemployed person might need transportation to start workforce training. Someone who spent years in one industry might need a short-term credential to move into another. 

It can get very complicated. Yet, our systems expect people to magically know which agency, program, office or website can fix their problems. 

Simply telling someone to “get a job” misses the point. If we truly believe employment can be empowering, then we need to make sure people have realistic pathways to good jobs. 

So, what are the most common barriers that stand between people and employment? 

Sometimes, it’s a lack of childcare or transportation. Other times, it’s a disability or lack of permanent housing. Many people simply don’t know where to start. 

Through my work in West Virginia and time spent studying workforce development efforts in other states, I learned about something called a  “no wrong door” approach.

The idea is straightforward: Someone looking for work shouldn’t have to understand the West Virginia State Government’s organizational chart before receiving help. Regardless of which door they open, someone should be able to help them. 

If someone doesn’t have a car, tell them about the WV Works Donated Vehicle Program, which allows qualifying TANF recipients to buy used vehicles for one dollar. 

“Someone looking for work shouldn’t have to understand the West Virginia State Government’s organizational chart before receiving help.”

– Tara Martinez

If someone says they don’t have any marketable skills, connect them with a free workforce training program. 

And if someone can’t afford child care, tell them about West Virginia’s childcare tax credits.

West Virginia isn’t a lost cause, and we can reduce our state’s poverty rate. It will require good-paying jobs, affordable childcare, accessible transportation and strong training pathways. But it will also require a government that connects those pieces instead of forcing families to navigate them alone. That’s the part politicians usually forget about. 

During the many years I’ve spent working in state government, I’ve seen dedicated public employees doing good work. I’ve also seen how bureaucracy and outdated policies can actually make it harder for them to help West Virginians. 

Government success shouldn’t be determined solely based on how little money was spent, how many programs were created or how many people entered an office. We need to go deeper. 

Did someone get a job? Did they keep it? Did their wages increase? Is their family more financially secure than it was before? 

Those are the questions that matter, and you’d be surprised how often our elected officials forget to ask them.