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News Release

$74M in grants to provide employment services for formerly incarcerated adults and youth with juvenile records announced by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $74 million in grants to 37 community service organizations to provide employment, training and support services to successfully re-integrate formerly incarcerated adults and youth involved in the juvenile justice system into their communities. Grantees are expected to provide a range of services that include case management, mentoring, education and training that leads to industry-recognized credentials.

"Under President Obama's leadership, we are imploding stovepipes and achieving levels of interagency collaboration to help ex-offenders turn around their lives and get back on their feet," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Today's federal grants will continue to build on this success by expanding services to even more people who want to make a successful transition back into their communities."

"With more than half a million people being released from state and federal prisons each year, re-entry job training programs like the ones the Labor Department is funding today are a key part of ensuring people coming out of prison have the opportunity to learn the skills they need to successfully re-enter their communities," said Deputy Attorney General James Cole. "Given that many of these individuals have limited skills and inadequate education, we cannot simply release them and expect that they will, on their own, be able to rebuild their lives and get a job with a livable wage. That's why programs such as these are so important to ensuring they get a helping hand and a genuine chance to succeed."

Twenty-one grants, totaling more than $44 million, are being awarded for the second round of the Face Forward initiative, which combines the most promising workforce and juvenile justice strategies available to improve participants' chances of success. Funded programs will also help to address the stigma of having a juvenile record by offering services to seal juvenile records and providing opportunities to handle delinquency complaints outside of the juvenile justice system.

The remaining funding, totaling $30 million to 17 organizations through the Training to Work — Adult Reentry program, will help men and women participating in state or local work-release programs gain the job skills necessary to succeed in-demand occupations upon reintegrating back into society. The grants also build on the department's commitment to fund sustainable programs through the career pathways initiative, which better coordinates education and training services to enable workers to attain industry-recognized credentials and find jobs

Both grant programs target areas with high-poverty and high-crime, and several of the new grantees are located in areas designated as "Promise Zones" by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Promise Zones partner with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality and affordable housing, and improve public safety. The Promise Zone initiative builds on President Obama's commitment to increase collaboration between business and federal, state, tribal and local officials; faith-based and nonprofit organizations; children and parents to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living for every American in every community.

For more information about the department's Reintegration of Ex-Offender programs, please visit http://www.doleta.gov/RExO/.

Editor's note: A list of grantees follows this release.

Face Forward 2 Grantees

Grantee

City

State

Funding Amount

Centro Community Hispanic Association Inc.

Long Beach

Calif.

$1,500,000

AMIkids Inc.

Tampa

Fla.

$5,000,000

Fresh Ministries Inc.

Jacksonville

Fla.

$1,483,106

Safer Foundation

Chicago

Ill.

$5,000,000

WestCare Illinois

Chicago

Ill.

$1,368,126

Spectrum Resources

Des Moines

Iowa

$1,496,978

Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government

Louisville

Ky.

$1,500,000

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans

New Orleans

La.

$1,477,317

Action for Boston Community Development Inc.

Boston

Mass.

$1,000,000

RESOURCE Inc.

Minneapolis

Minn.

$1,495,248

Urban League of Essex County

Newark

N.J.

$1,211,538

Youth Shelters and Family Services Inc.

Santa Fe

N.M.

$1,368,126

PathStone Corp.

Rochester

N.Y.

$5,000,000

Workforce Investment Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties

Utica

N.Y.

$1,500,000

The Children's Cabinet Inc.

Reno

Nev.

$1,500,000

Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio

Brecksville

Ohio

$1,365,483

Connection Training Services

Philadelphia

Pa.

$5,000,000

Change Happens

Houston

Texas

$1,368,126

Pathways-VA Inc.

Petersburg

Va.

$1,500,000

King County Department of Community and Human Services

Seattle

Wash.

$1,500,000

Center for Self-Sufficiency

Milwaukee

Wis.

$1,500,000

Total = $44,134,048

Training To Work 2 Grantees

Grantee

City

State

Funding Amount

The Dannon Project

Birmingham

Ala.

$2,000,000

Volunteers of America of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Calif.

$2,000,000

The Empowerment Program Inc.

Denver

Colo.

$2,000,000

Community Partners in Action

Hartford

Conn.

$1,000,000

OIC of South Florida Inc.

Fort Lauderdale

Fla.

$1,999,900

Urban League of Greater Atlanta Inc.

Atlanta

Ga.

$2,000,000

Safer Foundation

Chicago

Ill.

$1,000,000

Interseminarian

Boston

Mass.

$1,000,000

70 x 7 Life Recovery

Holland

Mich.

$2,000,000

AccessAbility Inc.

Minneapolis

Minn.

$2,000,000

Fathers' Support Center Saint Louis Inc.

Saint Louis

Mo.

$1,998,003

Essex County College

Newark

N.J.

$1,000,000

The Osborne Association Inc.

Bronx

N.Y.

$2,000,000

Towards Employment Inc.

Cleveland

Ohio

$2,000,000

Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa

Tulsa

Okla.

$2,000,000

George Gervin Youth Center Inc.

San Antonio

Texas

$2,000,000

Word of Hope Ministries Inc.

Milwaukee

Wis.

$1,999,584

Total = $29,997,487

Agency
Employment and Training Administration
Date
June 19, 2014
Release Number
14-1195-NAT