GRANTEE:

Workforce Development Services, Inc (WDS)

ADDRESS:

840 Broadway, 3rd Floor

Gary, IN 46402-2412

AMOUNT:

$200,000

DURATION:

24 months

POPULATION SERVED: Jobseekers with physical or psychological disabilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The project will address the need of clients with disabilities by offering seamless employment services starting with identification of disability early in the job-seeking process, followed with assessment, career guidance, counseling, training, support services (including the provision of services or equipment for adaptation of the training or work environment), and appropriate job placement, all provided by professionals who understand disability.

The grant will be used to fund the salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, and indirect costs of two full-time Disability Program Navigators (DPNs). The duties of the DPNs will be consistent with that of the ETA/SSA positions. One DPN will work primarily on services available to adults with disabilities through WDSs WorkOne employment centers, partner agencies, and employers; the other DPN will focus on services to youth with disabilities through school districts, WorkOne Express sites, and youth contractors.

Partners include the Lake County Integrated Services Delivery Board, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the local vocational rehabilitation (VR) office, the Family Social Service Administration, and other community and faith-based organizations that provide services to those with disabilities.

With an unemployment rate of 7.1% (all populations) in Lake County, the WDS seeks to assist those with disabilities in obtaining and retaining competitive, unsubsidized employment; become the employment and training service provider of choice for persons with disabilities; and make benefits planning available through WDS WorkOne centers in Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, and Crown Point.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA TO BE SERVED: Lake County, Indiana

CONTACT:

Carole K. Morris

219-882-0033