CCS, Bowen Receive Grants From State
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Kosciusko County Combined Community Services and the Otis Bowen Center will benefit from grants awarded by Gov. Frank O'Bannon.
O'Bannon awarded nearly $23.7 million in grants Oct. 11 to prepare more Indiana residents for finding employment.
"Indiana is a national leader in moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency. When people have jobs, they feel better about themselves and they set a much better example for their children," O'Bannon said. "This is simply one more step to help Hoosiers grow out of welfare once and for all."
"These grants prove we're serious about helping working families continue their progress beyond dependency on public assistance," said first lady Judy O'Bannon.
The Indiana Manpower and Comprehensive Training program of CCS will receive $46,600, according to O'Bannon's list of organizations receiving the grants. Director of development Darlene Redinger said the IMPACT program is phenomenally successful this year.
IMPACT helps people on food stamps and people receiving Temporary Aid to Needy Families find employment they can retain, said Redinger.
It also helps them in these important areas: job search, work readiness, on the job training, job skills training, vocational education training and general academic preparation, including GED completion and English as a second language.
Redinger said there are 36 clients currently on IMPACT. Thirteen have been successfully placed in jobs and are still working. Six of those have been working more than 120 days. Three people are still searching for jobs; 11 left the program voluntarily; and nine had their benefits reduced due to noncompliance.
Redinger stresses the positive side of IMPACT. She said the whole goal is to help these people find a decent job with insurance benefits and prevent them from ending up on welfare again. She tries to keep the people she places in jobs with livable wages.
"We work with CCS," said director of adult services Gordon McInnis. If CCS is not sure of what kind of job to place someone in, they send them to the Bowen Center. The Bowen Center offers vocational testing to get a better idea of what job would be suitable for the client, said McInnis.
Each client goes through two to three hours of testing. McInnis said Bowen currently has one such client.
"We only have a real small piece of it," he said of the IMPACT program.
CCS takes IMPACT seriously. Executive director Jim Coons said CCS is currently in the process of hiring a full-time employee to oversee the IMPACT program.
Redinger is in the process of developing a new program that will go hand in hand with IMPACT. It's called Wheels to Work and the purpose is to provide qualified recipients on the IMPACT program with good used cars.
"It's a great sense of pride to see these people get a good job with a good wage," said Redinger. She thinks CCS will have even better statistics next year for the IMPACT program. [[In-content Ad]]
Kosciusko County Combined Community Services and the Otis Bowen Center will benefit from grants awarded by Gov. Frank O'Bannon.
O'Bannon awarded nearly $23.7 million in grants Oct. 11 to prepare more Indiana residents for finding employment.
"Indiana is a national leader in moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency. When people have jobs, they feel better about themselves and they set a much better example for their children," O'Bannon said. "This is simply one more step to help Hoosiers grow out of welfare once and for all."
"These grants prove we're serious about helping working families continue their progress beyond dependency on public assistance," said first lady Judy O'Bannon.
The Indiana Manpower and Comprehensive Training program of CCS will receive $46,600, according to O'Bannon's list of organizations receiving the grants. Director of development Darlene Redinger said the IMPACT program is phenomenally successful this year.
IMPACT helps people on food stamps and people receiving Temporary Aid to Needy Families find employment they can retain, said Redinger.
It also helps them in these important areas: job search, work readiness, on the job training, job skills training, vocational education training and general academic preparation, including GED completion and English as a second language.
Redinger said there are 36 clients currently on IMPACT. Thirteen have been successfully placed in jobs and are still working. Six of those have been working more than 120 days. Three people are still searching for jobs; 11 left the program voluntarily; and nine had their benefits reduced due to noncompliance.
Redinger stresses the positive side of IMPACT. She said the whole goal is to help these people find a decent job with insurance benefits and prevent them from ending up on welfare again. She tries to keep the people she places in jobs with livable wages.
"We work with CCS," said director of adult services Gordon McInnis. If CCS is not sure of what kind of job to place someone in, they send them to the Bowen Center. The Bowen Center offers vocational testing to get a better idea of what job would be suitable for the client, said McInnis.
Each client goes through two to three hours of testing. McInnis said Bowen currently has one such client.
"We only have a real small piece of it," he said of the IMPACT program.
CCS takes IMPACT seriously. Executive director Jim Coons said CCS is currently in the process of hiring a full-time employee to oversee the IMPACT program.
Redinger is in the process of developing a new program that will go hand in hand with IMPACT. It's called Wheels to Work and the purpose is to provide qualified recipients on the IMPACT program with good used cars.
"It's a great sense of pride to see these people get a good job with a good wage," said Redinger. She thinks CCS will have even better statistics next year for the IMPACT program. [[In-content Ad]]