Welfare-to-Work Competitive Grants
Third Round Award

Awardee:	H. Council Trenholm State Technical College 1225 Air Base Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36108
Contact:	Dr. W. Clyde Williams, President
Phone:	(334) 240-9711           Fax:      (334) 832-9777
Proposed Award Amount:	$3,558,805
Project Emphasis:	Noncustodial Parents

Summary Paragraph: Trenholm State Technical College's WtW program will target hard-to-employ, noncustodial parents, primarily fathers of children who receive TANF, for transition into employment. The project duration is 30 months and the target area is Montgomery City and County with a concentration in west Montgomery. The program will use a wrap-around case management approach for service delivery, in which a team of professional case managers and employment specialists will deliver an integrated cluster of services. Services will be provided within the recipient's home and community environments, including staff visits to the participant's home to provide employment preparation. Staff will also provide pre-employment job analysis and evaluations before and after the job placement, and link participants with community resources to address their individualized needs. In addition, Trenholm staff will address the recipient's recreational, psychosocial, family, physical health, and mental health needs through the use of case management linkage services. After the participants undergo a three-tiered assessment and determination of individual needs, they will be placed in jobs that match their individual goals.

Community Served: Montgomery, AL, concentration in west Montgomery

Target Group/Barriers: The program will target hard-to-employ, noncustodial parents, primarily fathers of children who receive TANF. Barriers faced by this population include low educational attainment and occupational skills; low self-esteem; lack of knowledge of labor market; substance abuse; and limited public transportation.

Partnerships: The college will partner with Montgomery County Department of Human Resources, Montgomery County District Attorney, Child support Enforcement Agency, Seraaj Family Homes, Montgomery Housing Authority, Montgomery Community Action Committee and Head Start program, Montgomery County Health Department, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, Montgomery Ministerial Alliance, Montgomery Minority Business Center, Montgomery Industrial terminal, Alabama State Employment Service and other agencies, organizations and employers.

Innovations/Service Strategy: The service strategy for this program centers around four components: Employment First, Personal and Family Management, Self-Actualization, and Post-Employment Services. The approach involves immediate placement in either subsidized or unsubsidized employment with intensive wrap-around support services. All activities will focus on individual achievement of sustained employment, economic self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.