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Low-Income Fathers See Workplace Success, Thanks to Austin Goodwill

Goodwill Industries of Central Texas Honored with 2008 Workplace Skills Award

June 30, 2008

Rockville, MD – In its first year, the Fatherhood Works Program in Travis County, TX, provided job search, placement and retention services to 85 low-income job seekers, most with criminal histories. Of the 62 men placed in jobs, 84 percent were still employed 90 days later, thanks to the program implemented by Goodwill Industries® of Central Texas (Austin), the recipient of the 2008 Workplace Skills Award from Goodwill Industries International^®.

The Austin Goodwill® houses its Fatherhood Works Program in a neighborhood with one of the highest poverty and crime rates in Austin. A survey of residents living near the office shows that 64 percent of persons who are heads of households are unemployed. Yet, Goodwill is seeing extraordinary results through a mix of job placement and retention strategies, such as one-on-one counseling, peer groups, specialized vocational training, financial management workshops and incentives for participants who reach critical benchmarks.

Bilingual staff and a certified offender employment specialist create an environment where the target population feels their life situations and challenges are heard and understood.

“There is such pride when a participant finds employment,” says Jamie Connatser, project coordinator for the Fatherhood Works Program. “Our 84 percent retention rate is evidence that these fathers are invested in the program and in the futures of their families.”

Goodwill teams up with agencies that can provide specialized support, such as legal assistance from the LoneStar Fatherhood Initiative, debt counseling from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, and domestic violence education from SafePlace.

“The Fatherhood Works Program in Austin is a shining example of Goodwill’s ability to recognize local needs and create workforce solutions that are successful over the long run,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Goodwill Industries of Central Texas is to be lauded for building stronger families, neighborhoods and the community as a whole.”

The Workplace Skills Award is given to a Goodwill program that provides exemplary services to people with disabilities and others with barriers to employment. It recognizes, rewards and shares best practices for carrying out the first strategy of the Goodwill Industries 21st Century Initiative: to prepare people with special needs for the 21st century workforce.

For free broadcast-quality video, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/Goodwill .