Michigan Works! Association Receives $100,000 Planning Grant from Michigan Justice Fund to Help Improve Workforce Re-Entry Service Delivery
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 25, 2023) – The Michigan Works! Association, the state’s primary workforce development organization supporting the 16 Michigan Works! agencies throughout the state, has received a $100,000 planning grant from the Michigan Justice Fund to help improve workforce re-entry services in support of economic mobility for individuals with criminal convictions.
Individuals with criminal convictions often face complex barriers to sustainable employment, including mental health, credential completion, housing access, and lack of work history. Through the planning grant, the Michigan Works! Association and key stakeholders will work to identify additional unknown hurdles to upward economic mobility for formerly incarcerated individuals, while working to scale successful models for the delivery of services through the workforce development system.
“Ensuring justice-involved individuals receive the necessary support to remove systemic barriers on the path toward long-term employment is and should be a key feature of our workforce system,” said Ryan Hundt, CEO of the Michigan Works! Association. “Our organization is grateful for this planning grant opportunity, where we will convene the voices of workforce developers, community partners, and most importantly, formerly incarcerated individuals to shape our workforce re-entry services in a more efficient, equitable manner.”
The Michigan Works! Association is one of seven entities statewide to receive a planning grant from the Michigan Justice Fund, as part of $2,750,300 in total grants recently announced to support the organization’s strategic vision of supporting returning citizens and building capacity for grassroots organizations.
“The Michigan Justice Fund is thrilled to be supporting efforts to better address the needs of individuals re-entering the workforce after incarceration across the state,” said Ashley Carter, director of the Michigan Justice Fund. “We are excited to partner with the Michigan Works! agencies on the innovative programming that will be developed with this grant.”
The Michigan Justice Fund is a collaborative of statewide and national funders that makes investments to promote the dignity and prosperity of Michigan residents by stemming the flow of individuals into the criminal legal system, supporting the investment of public dollars into community-driven alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring people who are returning home after incarceration receive the support they need to flourish. Since its inception in 2020, $18.3 million has been committed to the Michigan Justice Fund and more than $9 million has been deployed to organizations throughout the state.