DETROIT – The City of Detroit is launching a new program to help people who are without a job re-enter the workforce.
Detroit has picked 18 organizations within the city’s seven districts to provide training and support to Detroit, who have been unemployed for more than six months.
The Jump Start Program is a pilot that will offer $100 million in scholarships to Detroiters. Also, $40 million will be funded by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
On Friday (Jan. 27), Mayor Mike Duggan (D), city council members, Biden’s senior advisor, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling came together to announce the list of nonprofits involved.
During the announcement, Duggan said:
“If you’ve been unemployed for six months, you are very likely facing significant barriers that left you unemployed.”
Jump Start is expected to change that with scholarships.
“In the city, over the next few years, giving a $100 million in scholarships for adults,” Duggan says.
The scholarship doesn’t go to college but to help launch a career path without college.
“Monday night at 7 p.m., we are going to go over in detail how the scholarship works to learn to read, how the scholarship works to get your GED degree, how the scholarship works to get job training programs, how the scholarships work to get skills for life to get employed right away,” says Duggan.
The People’s Action is one of the 18 groups involved. Negus Vu leads the organization and believes this pilot program will not only make a difference in Detroit but across the country.
“This is the onset of something that’s a tremendous model on a national scale, so we have to achieve, and we will achieve,” says Vu.
A key ingredient in the Jump Start approach is partnering with organizations that already have community trust and are already doing similar work.
| Selected In Detroit Organization | Districts serviced |
|---|---|
| International Institute of Metro Detroit | D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7 |
| Vincent & Sarah Fisher Center | D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7 |
| Focus Hope | D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7 |
| Fit4Life Health and Fitness | D1, D2 |
| The Open Door COGIC | D3 |
| TMI Detroit Inc. | D3 |
| Family Assistance for Renaissance Men | D3, D4, D5 |
| Alkebu Lan Village | D3, D4, D5 |
| Emerging Industries Training Institute | D3, D4, D6 |
| The Black Bottom Group | D4 |
| Urge Imprint - Detroit Friends and Family | D4, D5 |
| Church of the Messiah Housing | D5 |
| Teach Empower Achieve (T.E.A.) | D5 |
| Center for Employment Opportunities | D5 |
| Spectrum Human Services Inc. | D5 |
| Detroit Hispanic Development Corp | D6 |
| Southwest Detroit Business Association | D6 |
| The People’s Action | D6, D7 |
A lot of grassroots organizations have been doing work for years but will now have the opportunity based on the success of their clients.
“Knowing where to start when you’re ready to get into the job market can be hard, especially for people who have been out of the workforce for a while,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, who serves as the Mayor’s Group Executive for Jobs, Economy, and Detroit at Work. “To be better at coming alongside our residents, we’re taking community-centered partnerships to the next level. A stronger, financially supported network of community-based grassroots organizations that have long-standing relationships deep in our neighborhoods is the next frontier in getting thousands of Detroiters on the road to a better job or a new career.”
The organizations will be paid monthly by a third-party administrator as program participants reach milestones, up to $2200 per program each participant completes, for a total of up to $8800 per participant.
