Introducing The Opportunity Project
We provide the candidate. You provide the opportunity.
Decreased funding and dwindling donations have forced many of you -- our partners -- to cut back on hiring new staff to address the flood of customers needing your services. In many cases, you have maximized the capacity of your existing staff. A new collaboration between DSS and five partners could assist you in getting the help you need while also giving someone a leg up toward achieving self-sufficiency.
The Opportunity Project is designed to provide jobs for 500 job-ready, TANF-eligible residents. DSS and five local job-training partners -- Arbor Education & Training, The Center for Community Transitions, Goodwill Industries, Jacob's Ladder Job Center, Inc. and Urban League of Central Carolinas, Inc. -- will pre-screen candidates' job compatibility and provide ongoing employment counseling. The Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners will vote to approve the program on February 16.
The Opportunity Project matches eligible participants needing jobs with organizations that are understaffed. Employers can be houses of worship, nonprofit organizations or for-profit companies. While participating employers will be reimbursed for 100 percent of the hourly wages paid to the employee, they will provide a 20 percent match in the form of equipment, on-site training, coaching, mentoring and/or supervision.
Participating employers who keep their employees on staff after the subsidy ends may have a head-start toward qualifying for the Worker Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal tax program available to employers who hire new employees from several targeted groups that have traditionally had difficulty obtaining or retaining employment.
The Oppportunity Project is supported by a $10 million grant from the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
If you are interested in becoming a participating employer, please contact Karen Donoghue at 704-353-1470.
We are planning Application Fairs for residents to be screened for eligibility in order to participate in the program. Stay tuned to the February issue of Reaching Out for dates and times. |