SNAP particpants get job training

Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) participants will be getting a little extra help finding jobs.

 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, along with Labor Secretary Tom Perez, recently announced the recipients of $200 million in competitive awards to fund and evaluate pilot projects in 10 states to help SNAP participants find jobs and work toward self-sufficiency.

 

Projects in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington were chosen.

 

"Helping people find and keep good jobs is the right way to transition recipients off of SNAP assistance and ultimately reduce program costs. These pilots will give USDA and our state partners the opportunity to explore innovative, cost-effective ways to help SNAP recipients find and keep gainful employment in order to build a stronger future for their families," Secretary Vilsack said during a visit to Gwinnett Technical College.

 

Authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, the grants will fund pilot projects focusing on target populations, including individuals with low skills, able-bodied adults without dependents and SNAP recipients working in very low-wage or part-time jobs. The selected pilots represent a wide array of approaches—including skills training, work-based learning, support services such as transportation and child care, and other job-driven strategies—and reflect the wide geographic diversity of the SNAP population. The grants will fund projects for three years.

 

"These grants are the result of unprecedented collaboration and an unparalleled focus on using every available tool to help people get access to good jobs and a firm grip on the ladder of opportunity," said Secretary Perez. "By testing and then applying proven strategies across the federal government and throughout the workforce system, we're taking on the unfinished business of the remarkable economic recovery underway - making sure that every person can share in the prosperity being created and that the promise of opportunity extends to all."

 

Secretary Vilsack also announced that two research organizations, Mathematica Policy Research and MDRC, will conduct rigorous, independent evaluations of the projects that will help USDA to identify which approaches are most effective for the diverse population of SNAP recipients. The most effective strategies could then be undertaken throughout the country.

 

Projects selected include:

For further information about the projects, visit the SNAP Employment and Training Pilots website.