Tag: TANF

As America wraps up the summer with cookouts and parades this Labor Day, Goodwill Industries International is calling on Congress to ensure the continuation of a key form of employment assistance for families in need. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which was signed into law in 1997, provides much-needed cash assistance — commonly referred to as welfare — to millions of unemployed parents with dependent children. In addition, it allows states to work with community-based organizations such as Goodwill® to provide a variety of career programs designed to keep individuals off welfare for good.

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Cindy Stone, custodial training coordinator at Goodwill Industries® of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, developed a custodial training and certification program for people with physical and cognitive disabilities, giving unemployed individuals a leg up in an almost recession-proof industry. Her innovative workforce solution is being honored this year with the Robert E. and Charlotte Watkins Award for Mission Advancement from Goodwill Industries International. The Commercial Custodial Technician Program is a four-week training that teaches basic components of custodial services. Having completed the program, participants obtain a portable, nationally recognized certification. Of the 113 individuals trained so far, more than 80 percent are now employed in the custodial field.

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