To stop the cycle before it starts, the U.S. Department of Labor launched the “Face Forward” initiative designed to help court-involved youth overcome barriers early on and provide occupational training and credentials that will help them open the door to career success.
The goal of the Face Forward program aligns closely with President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative which seeks to close opportunity gaps still faced by too many young people and often by boys and young men of color.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said:
We all succeed when we all succeed, and that’s what the Face Forward program is all about. With these grants, we can create a brighter future for these youth, build safer communities and strengthen our economy as a whole.
This year is the third round of the Face Forward grant initiative which uses the most promising workforce and juvenile justice strategies available. The grants also build on the department’s commitment to fund sustainable programs through the career pathways initiative, which better coordinates education and training services to enable workers to attain industry-recognized credentials and find jobs.
Grantees are expected to provide a range of services that include case management, mentoring, education and training services. Funded programs will also help to eliminate the stigma of a juvenile record by offering services to seal juvenile records and providing opportunities to handle delinquency complaints outside of the juvenile justice system.
In 2015, the department plans to award four grants of $5 million each to intermediary organizations who will then work with local service providers in no less than three communities across no less than two states. The remaining funds will be awarded to approximately 10 community organization for up to $1.05 million each. Preference will be given to grantees that target communities with high-poverty and high-crime rates.
Grantees will provide services to youth between the ages of 14-to-24 that have been involved in the juvenile justice system, but never convicted in the adult criminal system.
Because juvenile arrests can become a major barrier to inclusion and advancement in the workforce, grantees will collaborate with nonprofit legal services providers to assist in expunging the court records of juvenile offenders and/or provide diversion programs, as designated by the juvenile justice system. Grantees will also offer youth mentoring services, education and training leading to industry-recognized credentials and post-program support and follow-up services.
Eligible juvenile offenders must reside in the geographic area to be served; have never been involved with the adult federal, state or local criminal justice systems; have never been convicted of a sex-related offense other than prostitution; and be currently involved or have been involved in the juvenile justice system, or be candidates for diversion under state guidelines for juvenile diversion programs.
Grants were awarded through a competitive process open to any nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status, unit of state or local government, or any Indian and Native American entity eligible for grants under Workforce Investment Act Section 166 in areas with high poverty and crime rates that met the requirements of the solicitation.
The grants will operate for a period of 39 months, which include six months of planning, 24 months of operation, and a minimum of nine months of post-program support and follow-up services for each participant.
Communities served by the frogram include New York, Philadelphia, Houston, St. Louis,
