LITTLE ROCK – Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., and officials with the Little Rock Workforce Development Board announced today a $4 million federal grant to support and enhance the City's comprehensive efforts to reduce crime and curb recidivism.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration grant will support reentry services for 400 individuals who are about to be released from custody and who have plans to reside in Little Rock or surrounding areas. Grant funding will pay for services that begin pre-release and continue so that participants can build stable, productive lives.

"Reentry programs are an essential tool in our crime reduction strategy, because quality pre- and post-incarceration services help residents rebuild their lives and turn away from crime," Mayor Scott said. "There are hundreds of successful Little Rock residents with new careers ad changed lives because of the hard work of the Little Rock Workforce Development Board through Rock City Reentry."

The $4 million grant will pay for the sixth cohort of Rock City Reentry's Pathway Home Project. Including the cohort from this grant funding, nearly 1,000 residents will have been impacted by the program. Eligible participants are within 20 to 270 days of release 

Pathway Home employs a collaborative model of wraparound services that target the underlying causes of recidivism, including unemployment and lack of transportation. Those services can include job training, housing, adult education, mental health or substance abuse counseling, and case management.

The program focuses on job training in four sectors -- construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, and transportation. 

"Rock City Reentry and the Pathway Home Project have a strong record of success in supporting individuals as they get back on the right track," said WJ Monagle, executive director of the Little Rock Workforce Development Board. "Our targeted resources and services utilize peer specialists and mentors that demonstrate the strategies necessary to overcome obstacles and challenges. We are excited about the opportunities this new funding provides to strengthen services and support our community."

More than 50 community partners support the program through employee training, education, housing, transportation and legal assistance. Mayor Scott and Monagle shared their appreciation and gratitude to those organizations.

Watch the news conference to announce the grant.