| < Go Back |
| |
For Immediate Release
September 11, 2006 |
| |
ABCD Wins $465,890 Grant
from HHS for Jobs Program
Washington, D.C. – Action for Bridgeport Community
Development (ABCD) will receive a $465,890 grant from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Congressman
Christopher Shays (R-CT) announced today.
“This program is a public-private partnership that
will take advantage of Bridgeport’s extensive development
plans and the City’s commitment to hiring Minority Business
Enterprises,” Shays explained. “This is a huge
win for ABCD and for the City, training and offering job opportunities
for Bridgeport residents who need it and providing labor to
help our City meet its development goals.”
“This grant will permit us, in the City of Bridgeport,
to pull together the threads of developing markets for small
and minority businesses, bring highly relevant skills to low-income
families and individuals, and provide jobs and careers for
Bridgeport residents in the economically expanding branch
of environmental remediation,” said Charlie Tisdale,
ABCD Executive Director. “We will be able to merge our
need for well-paying jobs with a future, with the goals of
environmental justice for inner-city dwellers while moving
our economic development agenda through Brownfields remediation.
This is truly a great day for ABCD and for our City as we
capture the funding needed to create significant, new opportunities
for both businesses and individuals through the JOLI grant
that has been awarded us for the first time in five years.”
The grant, a Job Opportunities for Low Income individuals
(JOLI) program, is a 3 -year project which will create 55
new jobs for 55 clients trained in HAZMAT handling/mitigation/abatement
and related construction trades.
The first phase of the project will create a new business
venture that will bid for contracts with committed public
and private entities to satisfy the rapidly expanding, unfulfilled
HAZMAT market in Bridgeport. Fifteen of these jobs will be
created by providing relevant Technical Assistance to local
Minority Business Enterprises (MBE’s) that lack the
expertise, qualified workers and certification to successfully
bid on HAZMAT and related construction jobs.
The second phase of the project will train 55 low-income
Bridgeport residents receiving TANF, and non-custodial parents,
in relevant HAZMAT skills to supply full-time employees to
the new business enterprise, and the MBEs bidding on local
private and public building and deconstruction projects.
Over 45 companies and agencies will participate in training,
Technical Assistance, employment, On-The-Job experience, advisory
councils and boards and support services.
Contact: Sarah Moore, 202/225-5541
-30-
|
