December 5, 2005 – The Detroit Workforce Development Department, a Michigan Works! agency, is contributing $493,870 towards a pilot project with Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit that aims to assist unemployed Detroit residents into the workforce.

The funds consist of a $233,870 grant from the Michigan Department of Human Services to the Detroit Workforce Development Department and $260,000 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding that is part of the Detroit Workforce Development Department’s FY 2006 budget.

The pilot project with Goodwill, called Moving Men and Women to Economic Independence in Michigan, is a Work First initiative that will provide chronically unemployed residents in the City of Detroit with the training and employability skills they need to successfully secure and retain employment, helping to move them from public assistance to self-sufficiency.

“If Moving Men and Women to Economic Independence in Michigan is successful, it has the potential to be replicated statewide,” said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.

The goal of the Work First Program is to help Michigan’s low-income citizens obtain employment or higher paying employment, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for public assistance.

Funding for Work First is provided by the State of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is administered by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, Bureau of Workforce Programs.

The Department of Labor & Economic Growth is investing in Michigan’s future by helping to create the jobs of today and tomorrow, ensuring that our children and adults have the skills these jobs demand, making Michigan a better place to do business, and training and placing those who need jobs now.