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Stimulus funds target education, job training
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| By: ADAM NORTHAM, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
May 21, 2009 |
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A multi-county assistance agency is running a new, stimulus-funded program that aims to improve the Southwest Mississippi economy by training and educating 200 people for entry into the workforce.
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AJFC Community Action Agency, Inc., is accepting applications for its new Career Recovery Opportunity Program, a multi-faceted support program that will offer financial assistance to individuals who need temporary help while they take the necessary steps to find employment.
"Any kind of barrier out there that prevents (people) from looking for or getting a job, we're going to work with them," AJFC case worker Sonya Alexander said during a public hearing on the program Wednesday night.
Alexander said the program would help pay for job training workshops and Vo-Tech classes, enrollment in tutorial programs for those who wish to earn their GED, up to one year of tuition for those enrolling in college courses, mortgage payments to avoid foreclosure and child care services. The program will also help cover utility bills for those already taking classes and provide tutoring for students unable to pass state graduation exams, she said.
The program is funded through a $950,000 community service block grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The program will see $179,000 spent directly for services in Lincoln County.
The program will launch in July and end in September 2010.
Copiah County case worker LaPrince Evans said two coordinators and five field workers would be hired to oversee the program in Lincoln County, and funding for those seven employees and their administrative costs would come from the county's $179,000 appropriation. The qualifications for the seven workers are unclear, she said, adding that all the program's funding must be spent within one year.
At least one of the four members of the public in attendance thought the program would have a positive impact.
"There's people out there sitting at home with no GED, and it's costing us more as taxpayers to pay for them to have food stamps and all," said Dinah Waters.
But the program drew criticism from District 92 Rep. Becky Currie, who attended the public hearing.
She said $179,000 is not enough funding for seven employees, their administrative costs and the program's goals, calling CROP a waste of taxpayer dollars. She said all the services planned under the program are already offered through agencies like the WIN Job Center and the Southwest Mississippi Planning and Development District.
Currie informed members of the public who asked her about funding for the program that state government had nothing to do with the federally approved CROP, adding that she wouldn't have voted for the program if it were her responsibility. She was especially concerned about the requirement that all CROP funding must be spent within one year.
"We have to spend taxpayer dollars, even though this is a duplication of existing services provided by the WIN Job Center?" Currie complained.
Anyone interested in signing up for CROP may contact Alexander at AJFC's Brookhaven office at 601-833-6349.
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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