This Office on Trafficking in Persons fact sheet provides an overview of community resources and highlights programs assisting with job training, food, energy bills, housing, childcare, and recovery services for those affected by trafficking. Support for disaster recovery and access to social services such as substance use treatment and mental health care are also included.

With institutional cultures that are rooted in family, community, and holistic supports, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are uniquely positioned to catalyze the systemic change needed to better support Black and Native student parents. Ascend at the Aspen Institute established the Black and Native Family Futures Fund to provide funding and expert technical assistance to eight HBCU and TCU partners. Ascend is hosting a webinar on November 14, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. ET where student parents and leaders from some of the Fund partners will discuss key themes including the importance of family-like environments, student parent expertise, and the support of leadership.

This Office of Research, Planning and Evaluation report describes the design of the NextGen Project, which is evaluating the effectiveness of four programs that provide services for people with physical, mental, or emotional health challenges. Many of the people are potential applicants for Supplemental Security Income. The four programs highlighted are:
• Bridges from School to Work;
• Individual Placement and Support for Adults with Justice Involvement;
• Philadelphia Workforce Inclusion Networks; and
• Western Mass Mental Health Outreach for MotherS PartnershipSM.

Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking need access to education and job training programs that are grounded in trauma-informed practices. Futures Without Violence hosted a webinar in January 2022 and focused on recognizing barriers to employment and education for survivors and strategies for building strong cross-sector collaborations between advocacy service providers and workforce development programs.

Survivors of domestic violence (DV) often face multiple barriers to employment, including limited skills, gaps in their education and work histories, housing instability, and mental health and substance use needs. This Urban Institute policy brief summarizes the major findings from their evaluation of the Career Readiness Training Program, Sanctuary for Families’ workforce development program in New York City designed specifically for DV survivors. The brief also presents recommendations for workforce development programs serving DV survivors.

The direct support professional (DSP) is a subset of the broader direct care workforce. DSPs play a crucial role in supporting people with disabilities to participate fully in their communities, live in integrated settings and seek competitive integrated employment. The National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities is hosting a webinar on November 13, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET, where participants can hear how states, workforce systems, education and community partners are leveraging registered apprenticeships to meet DSP workforce demands.

Access to unemployment insurance (UI) benefits has been a challenge for all workers, but especially workers of color, workers with less formal education, lower-paid workers, younger workers, and workers with disabilities, who have all been less likely to apply for and receive benefits, even when potentially eligible. Building on community-based organizations’ role in connecting workers with UI benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor launched a three-year pilot “navigator” program in 2022. The program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, aimed to help state UI agencies develop community partnerships. This Center for American Progress report provides an evaluation of one of the navigator programs, Maine’s Peer Workforce Navigator (PWN) program. The PWN program received state funding supplemented by federal navigator grants for unions and other community organizations to help unemployed workers access public unemployment insurance benefits and job training benefits.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, an annual recognition of the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. In honor of this year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” this resource by the Office of Disability Employment Policy’s Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth highlights an innovative Massachusetts Commission for the Blind program that provides youth and young adults with disabilities access to high-quality employment experiences.

The National Youth Employment Coalition will host a virtual workshop on November 7, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss the challenges faced by youth and young adults re-entering society after incarceration, a population often overlooked and underserved. The discussions will explore the concept of social determinants of health, which significantly impact this group's well-being and reintegration. Through sharing lessons learned and best practices, the goal of the workshop is to empower youth workforce partners and members with innovative strategies to support those transitioning back into their communities. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the unique barriers faced by this population and learn about healing-centered engagement strategies to foster holistic well-being.

Sectoral training programs train people for jobs in industries where there is strong local demand and the opportunity for career advancement. Several sectoral training models for jobs in technology have proven effective in improving long-term earnings for workers with low incomes. But many people still do not have access to these programs because the programs may be too far from home or too costly. The Google Career Certificates Fund provides funding for training providers to support 20,000 learners. Providers combine Google Career Certificates, which offer online instruction in sector-specific skills, and outcomes-based loans, in which learners are only required to pay for training and related costs if they find jobs above a certain income threshold. This MDRC brief evaluates and describes the potential of the Google Career Certificates Fund initiative as well as the sectoral training field more broadly in facilitating equitable access to career paths in technology.