by Abby Hughes Holsclaw
Seven sites have been selected to participate in an 18-month technical assistance project to establish transitional jobs programs for hard-to-employ individuals.
These transitional jobs programs will provide paid work experience and help the participants secure permanent jobs with family supporting wages.
The selected sites are: Boston, Indianapolis; Las Vegas; Essex County/Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Peoria, Ill.; and Scranton, Pa.
?We applaud the commitment of these community leaders to improving the local workforce and promoting economic security for all residents,? said Donald. J. Borut, executive director of the National League of Cities. ?Through this project, these sites join a growing number of communities promoting the Transitional Jobs model and set an example of what can be accomplished through innovative leadership.?
Technical Assistance Project
The National Transitional Jobs Network, based in Chicago, will coordinate the provision of technical assistance.
The four project partners ? NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute), the National Transitional Jobs Network, the Center for Employment Opportunities in New York and the Transitional Work Corporation in Philadelphia ? will work with the selected sites to develop an action plan and implement strategies for improving employment opportunities.
Experts from the Center for Employment Opportunities and the Transitional Work Corporation will serve as the main technical assistance providers.
Each selected site will gain access to a range of benefits including:
? Direct access to national experts;
? Individualized design and implementation support;
? Assistance exploring the federal and state funding options available to support local jobs programs; and
? Opportunities to participate in a cross-site network of community leaders.
Transitional Jobs Model
The transitional jobs model is designed to help residents with barriers to work prepare for, and succeed in, long-term employment through temporary, wage-paying jobs in local government or a nonprofit organization.
This work is generally supplemented with education, training and counseling.
While several of the selected sites plan to focus on varying populations (e.g., the homeless or at-risk youth), all seek to engage former offenders.
Former offenders often have difficulty reintegrating into the workforce after they are released from jail. Transitional jobs can help these individuals develop a current work history and references that then allow them to move into permanent jobs.
Local Plans
Boston
Boston?s efforts will target ex-offenders with little or no work history and will build upon the foundation of existing transitional jobs programs that currently serve individuals with disabilities and the homeless. The transitional jobs program will also complement the city?s reentry effort, which includes newly re-organized Regional Reentry Centers.
Indianapolis
Indianapolis plans to expand jobs strategies to serve ex-offenders who are homeless or at risk of homelessness from two inner city neighborhoods. The project will also target urban workers ? predominantly minority men in their mid-twenties with untapped talent and limited education.
Las Vegas
To further reduce the overburden on local judicial systems, emergency shelters and hospitals, Las Vegas seeks to expand the EVOLVE program ? a program that assists ex-offenders in securing and retaining jobs ? to include the homeless and chronic inebriate populations.
Essex County, N.J.
The New Jersey State Parole Board and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice plan to launch the New Careers Project in Essex County to provide transitional employment for adults and older youth returning from state prison and juvenile detention centers.
Scranton, Pa.
Building upon existing job readiness and placement programs for former offenders and welfare recipients, Scranton will develop a transitional jobs program for offenders enrolled in a county treatment court and expand the program to serve long-time Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) recipients.
Oakland, Calif.
With funding through a recently passed local initiative designed to address the high levels of crime and violence, Oakland?s program will address the needs of formerly incarcerated youth and young adults.
Peoria, Ill.
The city of Peoria will concentrate on at-risk youth and former offenders in targeted distressed neighborhoods, particularly within their state-designated Empowerment Enterprise Community.
Project Support
NLC?s transitional jobs work is supported by the Joyce Foundation. The Transitional Jobs Project is funded through grants to the National Transitional Jobs Network by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Details: For further information about the Transitional Jobs Project, contact Abby Hughes Holsclaw in NLC?s YEF Institute, at 202-626-3107 or Holsclaw@nlc.org. Information regarding the Transitional Jobs model can be found at www.transitionaljobs.net.