Federal Grants to Improve Employment for Incarcerated Individuals

Many formerly incarcerated individuals have difficulty finding an employer who will hire them. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced late last week it is awarding more than US$85.5 million in grants to improve employment outcomes for current and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Organizations in 17 states and Washington, D.C. will use the 28 grants awarded to assist individuals who are “now or once involved in the criminal justice system to secure employment in their communities.”

The DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will administer the grants, which will be derived from two ETA programs that support education and training:

• Pathway Home grants support expanded services to eligible, incarcerated individuals in state correctional facilities or local jails prior-and post-release to help eliminate the gap between release and enrollment into a reentry program leading to employment.
• The Young Adult Reentry Partnership (YARP) program provides aid in strengthening partnerships with community colleges and links currently or formerly incarcerated young adults with apprenticeships and other opportunities in their communities in growing industries.

This is the second round of grants under the Reentry Employment Opportunities program. Last year, the DOL awarded more than $90 million to these two programs.

The cleaning industry is among job sectors that will hire formerly incarcerated individuals. Inmates at DuPage County Jail in Wheaton, Illinois earned custodial training certification from ISSA’s Cleaning Management Institute (CMI). DuPage County Jail announced two weeks ago that a federal grant will help pay for the CMI custodial training.