Below is information on the Jobs For Independence program scheduled to begin on March 7th. Any potential future participants should go to their local Community Action Agency to start the process. For more information, view a PowerPoint presentation on the program here.
Jobs for Independence Summary:
In 2015, Vermont was one of ten states chosen by the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) to develop and test strategies for reducing dependency on the
national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Vermont’s SNAP Program,
called 3SquaresVT and administered by the Department for Children and Families (DCF), was
awarded a three‐year $8.9 million dollar grant to develop a job readiness and training pilot
program for people getting benefits.The Department for Children and Families is Partnering with Community Action Agencies for outreach and recruitment, Vermont Department of Labor for orientation and random assignment and Vocational Rehabilitation for treatment group enhanced services. The program will target those Vermonters with significant barriers to employment, with the intent to provide these individuals with the supportive services necessary to assist them in finding employment and increase their income. As such, Vermont chose to focus on individuals that are homeless, those suffering and/or recovering from substance abuse or mental health problems, and those with prior criminal convictions. The program aims to enroll at least 3,000 individuals within the first 16 months of the pilot project, and will contain a “treatment” (1500) group and a “control”(1500) group in order to quantify the success of the program. Program participants must be mandatory work registrants who are not receiving a Reach-Up grant. The pilot is targeting the able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) population.
Tracy Collier
Program Manager
Jobs For Independence
Department for Children and Families
Economic Services Division
280 State Drive HC 1 South
Waterbury, VT 05671-1201
PHONE: 802-769-2570
