LIMA — After several contracts were approved Thursday by Allen County Commissioners, Allen County Ohio Means Jobs and the Allen County Department of Job and Family Services will continue to work with a variety of service providers to help both young people and the chronically unemployed in the area become more self-sufficient.
Allen County JFS entered into transportation service contracts with Black and White Cab ($275,000), the Allen County Regional Transit Authority ($45,000), Delphos Senior Citizens ($15,000) and West Ohio Community Action Partnership ($10,000), with all contracts running from Friday through June 30, 2017. A $70,000 General Educational Development/Adult Basic Literacy Education service contract was also reached with Apollo Career Center running in that same time period.
A $120,000 subgrant agreement was also approved between Allen County JFS and Goodwill Easter Seals of Miami Valley to provide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act services for youth looking for help getting started in the workforce.
“We’re working with youth ages 16 to 24,” according to Goodwill Easter Seals focused youth incorporated services coordinator Dre White. “We’ll be doing mentoring services along with employment and transportation. The goal is to help youth become more self-sufficient and valuable assets to society. We can provide work experience, on the job training and things like that.”
Allen County Ohio Means Jobs would handle the case management of the program, providing a local first point of contact before referring them to other service providers.
“We’re excited to work with these youth and with Ohio Means Jobs,” White said.
Commissioners also approved an amendment to a subgrant agreement with Fremont-based WSOS Community Action, with its focus being on working with the chronically unemployed. The agreement comes with a financial obligation of just under $70,000 and would run through the end of 2017.
“We provide referrals of long-term unemployed individuals of 26 weeks or longer, underemployed individuals of the same time frame, veterans and veterans’ spouses,” WSOS employment training coordinator Roger Fisher said.
To learn more about these programs, contact Ohio Means Jobs at 419-999-0360.
