The Office of Governor M. Jodi Rell
Press Releases - 11/2005
STATE OF
EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS
M. Jodi Rell
Governor
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2005
Contact: Adam Liegeot
860-524-7313
dAdam.Liegeot@ct.gov
Governor Rell,
Rep. Larson Announce More Than
$1.8 Million to Move Ex-Offenders
into Workforce
Governor M.
Jodi Rell and Congressman John Larson today announced
that Hartford-based Community Partners in Action, Inc. (CPA) has been awarded a
federal grant of $666,671 to help 200 adult ex-offenders return to the
workforce. The grant will be matched with resources from several community
partners totaling $1,157,816, bringing the total allotment to $1,824,487.
The funds will establish an
employment-centered program for recently released former prisoners.
Participants will be recruited from correctional facilities across the state of
Services provided through the grant
will include: case management, job training, educational services, mentoring,
retention assistance, family intervention, housing, and referral services such
as substance abuse and mental health treatment.
“These funds should reduce
recidivism by helping ex-offenders to find and keep employment when they return
to their communities,” Governor Rell said.
"Our crime rate is at a 30-year low, but we must ensure that the men and
women who have served their time and are released from prison will become productive,
job-holding, law-abiding citizens. We understand that the ability of
ex-offenders to rebuild their lives must be supported as they rejoin society.”
“The lack of employment
opportunities is often the biggest impediment to ex-offenders reforming their
lives,” Congressman Larson said. “This grant will help provide the
skills, support and networks that are integral to their finding work and adding
value to the community at large."
Community Partners in Action Executive
Director Maureen Price-Boreland said, “The grant fits
in very well with CPA’s 130-year history, mission and current programs and
services. The collaboration reflects service providers’ ability to come
together, negotiate responsibilities and leverage funds to enhance and expand
services for individuals who desperately need assistance to successfully
reintegrate in the community. Capital Workforce Partners and the Connecticut
Department of Labor were instrumental in coordinating the efforts of all community
partners in preparing this grant application and will be key players in the
project’s success.”
The list of Hartford-area community
partners/sub-grantees is as follows:
· Urban League of Greater
Hartford for pre-employment training and financial management counseling;
· Families in Crisis for
mentoring and family intervention;
· Connecticut Puerto
Rican Forum (CPRF) for skills training in construction and related trades as well
as apprenticeship development;
· South Arsenal
Neighborhood Development Corporation (SAND) for job retention and anger
management services;
· Co-Opportunity for five
job training slots through its YouthBuild Program;
· Capital Workforce
Partners for training services;
· and Our Piece of the
Pie (formerly Southend Community Services) for case
management and job preparation services.
The sub-grantees listed above will
work with employment partners Au Bon Pain, C&S Wholesale Grocers, JC Penney
Warehouse, Reliance Automotive, and
The grant, from the U.S. Department
of Labor, is part of the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative.
Community Partners in Action, Inc.,
one of the nation's oldest non-profit agencies, promotes accountability,
dignity, and restoration for people affected by the criminal justice system.
Content Last Modified on 11/10/2005
2:12:19 PM
Carter J. Kneeland
Government Relations
Coordinator