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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 2, 2006 <br />Action Ager~a <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Work First Pilot Funds <br />DEPARTMENT: Social Services PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Grant Proposal <br />Grant Award Letter <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Nancy Colton, 245-2802 <br />Gwen Price, 245-2885 <br />PURPOSE: To accept grant funds available to operate Work First pilots. <br />BACKGROUND: The North Carolina General Assembly appropriated some of the available <br />Temporary Assistance for Needy Families .(TANF) funds to support local pilot projects to <br />enhance the participation rates of Work First recipients. Changes in federal rules are <br />expected to make it difficult for local agencies to meet the required federal participation rates. <br />The pilot projects must be used in a way to increase these participation rates. <br />Participation rates are determined by the number of recipients who complete 30 hours per <br />week of allowable activities. Most of the allowable activities are short term training, community <br />work experience, on-the job training, employment or subsidized employment. Orange County <br />is not currently meeting the required 50% participation rate for all parents who are not either <br />disabled or have a .child youriger than the age of one. As the number of recipients has <br />declined it has become more difficult for the agency to meet the'federal requirements since <br />many of the current. recipients have complex issues and multiple barriers to employment. <br />At the joint work session with. the Social Services Board on September 14, 2006, the Board of <br />County Commissioners indicated that the agency could apply for these funds. There is no <br />local match required and if the pilot project is meeting its stated goals, then the funds can be <br />continued for two more years. The deadline to submit proposals was on October 6, 2006, and <br />a proposal requesting $270,838 in grant funds was submitted by Social Services on that date. <br />Social Services has been approved to receive funds to increase its on-the-job training <br />components with employers, to provide job coaches for targeted participants, to provide work <br />incentives for successful participants and to provide subsidized employment opportunities. <br />Funding is available through Fiscal Year 2008-2009 for these projects. <br />