By Khuan-Yu Hall
Fifteen nonprofits received a total of $684,000 in grant funds this month that local advocates hope will boost pathways to employment.
The funds were awarded by the philanthropic Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, which aims to help New Haven residents find long-term employment and provides wraparound services like help with childcare, transportation and credentialing.
“There aren’t as many opportunities for people who live there and for people who want to stay,” said Matt Higbee, the content and engagement manager at the Community Foundation. “And we also have the second problem … the people who don’t have access to quality jobs or have their own business get left out when the economy does well.”
The grants hope to tackle two problems at once: New Haven’s economic growth, which ranks 46 out of the 57 large metropolitan areas in the United States, and economic inclusivity, which ranks 54th, according to the same study.
The grants, Higbee said, gives local residents access to careers and wages that can support families and reduce stress about paying bills or having to work multiple jobs.