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Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OPA Press Release: Department of Labor Awards $222 Million for Innovative Welfare to Work Solutions [09/28/1999]

For more information call: (202) 693-4650

The Labor Department awarded 64 Welfare-to-Work grants totaling $222 million today. The projects will help the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients acquire the skills, work experience and resources they need to find and keep good jobs.

"We have made great progress in reducing welfare caseloads and these Welfare-to-Work grants will mean more American workers will be able to learn the skills and find the jobs they need to get higher wage lifetime employment," President Bill Clinton said.

"The competitive grants encourage communities to build partnerships and be innovative in their approach to helping welfare recipients become employed," Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman said. "The money may be used for support services such as child care and transportation, which can make all the difference for some welfare recipients."

These grants represent the third round of a two-year, $711.5 million grant competition which seeks to encourage communities to develop new, results-oriented ways to help long-term welfare recipients gain a secure foothold in the labor market.

The 64 grants awarded today are for projects which target specific categories of recipients or providers. For instance, the recipient categories include non-custodial parents, participants with disabilities, persons with substance abuse, participants living in rural areas or empowerment zones and enterprise communities, victims of domestic violence, people with limited English proficiency and Native Americans. Providers include historically Black colleges, faith-based organizations and public housing agencies.

U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at: www.dol.gov The information in this news release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. TDD Message Referral Phone: 1-800-326-2577.

EDITORS NOTE: A complete list of the grantees and a brief description of their programs will be available on the Welfare-to-Work web site at competitive

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.