18 organizations will provide training to Detroiters who’ve been unemployed for more than 6 months

Jump Start Program will offer $100M in scholarships to Detroiters

DETROIT – The City of Detroit is launching a new program to help people who are without a job re-enter the workforce.

Detroit has picked 18 organizations within the city’s seven districts to provide training and support to Detroit, who have been unemployed for more than six months.

The Jump Start Program is a pilot that will offer $100 million in scholarships to Detroiters. Also, $40 million will be funded by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

On Friday (Jan. 27), Mayor Mike Duggan (D), city council members, Biden’s senior advisor, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling came together to announce the list of nonprofits involved.

During the announcement, Duggan said:

“If you’ve been unemployed for six months, you are very likely facing significant barriers that left you unemployed.”

Jump Start is expected to change that with scholarships.

“In the city, over the next few years, giving a $100 million in scholarships for adults,” Duggan says.

The scholarship doesn’t go to college but to help launch a career path without college.

“Monday night at 7 p.m., we are going to go over in detail how the scholarship works to learn to read, how the scholarship works to get your GED degree, how the scholarship works to get job training programs, how the scholarships work to get skills for life to get employed right away,” says Duggan.

The People’s Action is one of the 18 groups involved. Negus Vu leads the organization and believes this pilot program will not only make a difference in Detroit but across the country.

“This is the onset of something that’s a tremendous model on a national scale, so we have to achieve, and we will achieve,” says Vu.

A key ingredient in the Jump Start approach is partnering with organizations that already have community trust and are already doing similar work.

Selected In Detroit Organization Districts serviced
International Institute of Metro Detroit
D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
Vincent & Sarah Fisher CenterD1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
Focus HopeD1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
Fit4Life Health and FitnessD1, D2
The Open Door COGICD3
TMI Detroit Inc.D3
Family Assistance for Renaissance MenD3, D4, D5
Alkebu Lan VillageD3, D4, D5
Emerging Industries Training InstituteD3, D4, D6
The Black Bottom GroupD4
Urge Imprint - Detroit Friends and FamilyD4, D5
Church of the Messiah HousingD5
Teach Empower Achieve (T.E.A.)D5
Center for Employment OpportunitiesD5
Spectrum Human Services Inc.D5
Detroit Hispanic Development CorpD6
Southwest Detroit Business AssociationD6
The People’s ActionD6, D7

A lot of grassroots organizations have been doing work for years but will now have the opportunity based on the success of their clients.

“Knowing where to start when you’re ready to get into the job market can be hard, especially for people who have been out of the workforce for a while,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, who serves as the Mayor’s Group Executive for Jobs, Economy, and Detroit at Work. “To be better at coming alongside our residents, we’re taking community-centered partnerships to the next level. A stronger, financially supported network of community-based grassroots organizations that have long-standing relationships deep in our neighborhoods is the next frontier in getting thousands of Detroiters on the road to a better job or a new career.”

The organizations will be paid monthly by a third-party administrator as program participants reach milestones, up to $2200 per program each participant completes, for a total of up to $8800 per participant.


About the Authors:

Megan Woods is thrilled to be back home and reporting at Local 4. She joined the team in September 2021. Before returning to Michigan, Megan reported at stations across the country including Northern Michigan, Southwest Louisiana and a sister station in Southwest Virginia.

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.