100 Low-Income Young Dads to Receive Employment, Training and Long-Term Self-Sufficiency Services

October 6, 2006; 07:01 AM

The Young Dads Program of Employment Action Center has been awarded a $250,000 Responsible Fatherhood grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance.

The program will provide 100 young fathers with comprehensive employment and training services, financial literacy training, and other long-term self- sufficiency services.

"This program is a chance for low-income young fathers to become self- sufficient and follow their dreams," Young Dads director Kirkland Johnson said. "Some will do so by obtaining employment. Others will receive assistance in starting small businesses.

"In either case, we want to be sure that these young men give back to the community after they have succeeded in becoming self-sufficient," he continued. "The motto of the Young Dads program is 'A New Generation of Men.' In our minds, the two main characteristics of that new generation of men is that we are self-sufficient and that we give back to the community."

The Young Dads program will provide the men with comprehensive employment and training services including assessments, remedial education, scholarships for short-term vocational training, and job placement. The goal of the program is for participants to find employment at an average wage of $11.25 per hour for those not completing skills training and $14.00 per hour for those completing such training.

Participants will also receive support and assistance in establishing paternity, visitation and custody and in paying child support.

In addition, the program will provide services designed to permanently improve the economic stability of these fathers and their families, including financial-literacy training, an opportunity to build savings through an Individual Development Account, and job-progression services so participants can advance in their careers and increase their wages.

EAC partners on the project include Faith in the City Personal Finance Center, which will provide financial-literacy workshops, and Neighborhood Development Center, which will provide training and technical assistance for participants interested in starting a small business.

Employment Action Center is a division of RESOURCE, a nonprofit human service agency that provides employment and training, mental health, and chemical health services to over 16,000 Twin Cities residents a year.