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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8211
Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman today
announced that Wisconsin has been approved for a $12.8 million Welfare to Work
grant to help the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients acquire the skills, work
experience and resources they need to find and keep good jobs. The grant is
part of the $2.2 billion available nationwide in state grants to help local
communities transform the lives of long-term welfare recipients.
"Welfare caseloads have dropped by 5.2 million since the beginning of
this Administration, but we still face the task of helping people with multiple
employment barriers to navigate the hurdles from dependency to
self-sufficiency," Vice President Gore said. "These funds will help Wisconsin's
long-term welfare recipients to break the cycle of dependency."
"This grant will fund support services for Wisconsin's new workers that
will enable them to get and keep good jobs," said Herman. "The goal is not just
to find a job, but to get the skills and work experience needed to establish a
secure foothold in the world of work and move up the career ladder."
Wisconsin joins Alabama, Arkansas , Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii,
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana , Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee in
putting the Administration's Welfare-to-Work initiative into action.
Under the 1997 Budget Reconciliation Act, $2.2 billion is being
allocated by formula over two years to states based on their population of poor
people and adult recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Another
$711.5 million is being awarded on a competitive basis directly by the
Secretary of Labor to local communities for projects that emphasize innovation,
collaboration and sustainable strategies to attain quality employment, earnings
and other successful outcomes for welfare recipients.
Wisconsin is receiving a grant because its plan has been approved by
the department, enabling the Secretary of Labor to disburse its welfare-to-work
formula funds. Eighty-five percent of the funds will be sent to Private
Industry Councils that will design and operate collaborative, integrated
programs tailored to meet local labor market needs.
The grant may be used to fund unsubsidized and subsidized employment;
work experience; on-the-job training; and post employment retention services,
such as child care and transportation assistance.
Editor's Note: The grant amount and state contact for Wisconsin
follow:
FEDERAL FUNDS TO BE PROVIDED TO STATE: $12,885.951
STATE
MATCH: $6,442,975.50
STATE AGENCY TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM:
Division of Workforce Excellence
2010 East Washington Ave, Rm
201X
P.O. Box 7972
Madison, Wisconsin 53707
Contact
Person:
Ms. June Suhling, Administrator
(608) 266-2439
STATE: WISCONSIN
Welfare-to-Work State Formula Grant
FEDERAL FUNDS TO BE PROVIDED TO STATE: $12,885.951
STATE MATCH: $6,442,975.50
STATE AGENCY TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM:
Division of Workforce Excellence
2010 East Washington Ave, Rm 201X
P.O. Box 7972
Madison, Wisconsin 53707
Contact
Person:
Ms. June Suhling, Administrator
(608) 266-2439
PLAN SUMMARY:
Wisconsin's Welfare-to-Work (WtW) program, through a myriad of outreach
strategies and innovative programs, will target non-custodial parents whose
custodial parents meet the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF)
eligibility criterion. Strategies and programs, such as media outreach and
cross-checking between child support and TANF agency listings, will be most
helpful to urban areas. Strategies also include efforts by Wisconsin's
Department of Administration and Department of Workforce Development, who have
joined forces to assist low income families with housing. The two agencies have
established a program entitled "HOME" to provide assistance to TANF and WtW
participants who are homeless or need to move closer to work and/or their
training site.
Activities:
- On-the-Job training
- Job retention services
- Job readiness
- Supportive services
- Placement services
- Wage subsidies
- Post employment services
- Work experience
Performance Measures:
- 40% increase in WtW participant placement rates
- 40% duration in unsubsidized employment after a 3 month period
- 70% duration in unsubsidized employment after 12 months for areas
with lower unemployment levels
- WtW participant wage increase (as high as $7.10 - $7.50) over
previous wage levels
15% Statewide Projects:
Wisconsin's 15% funds will be used to support:
- services that increase noncustodial parents' ability to provide child
support payments
- projects that focus on employment readiness and pre-apprenticeship
training
- projects that service migrants in rural areas and other areas with
high concentrations of Southeast Asian populations
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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