Detroit Launches Program to Reengage Long-term Unemployed Residents

The city of Detroit has partnered with 18 community groups and activist organizations on a new program called Jump Start that seeks to assist long-term unemployed residents get reengaged in the job market.
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Downtown Detroit Michigan architecture city skyline buildings on
The Jump Start program from the city of Detroit is designed to help reengage residents who have been unemployed for a long period of time. // Stock Photo

The city of Detroit has partnered with 18 community groups and activist organizations on a new program called Jump Start that seeks to assist long-term unemployed residents get reengaged in the job market.

The effort launches on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and is being funded through American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The city has enlisted what is calls IDOs (In Detroit Organizations) through a procurement process that will be its boots on the ground for enrolling long-term unemployed Detroiters in the mayor’s ARPA-funded Jump Start program.

Each IDO will be tasked with identifying residents from the neighborhoods they’re already doing work in and enrolling them in education or training programs. They will also coach and mentor each participant, monitor their progress, and identify potential barriers to success throughout the program.

Participating IDOs also will be eligible for performance-based incentives of up to $2,200 per participant for each track of the program. As each IDO client reaches their milestones in the program, the IDO will receive a financial incentive.

“In the Jump Start Program, participants have a financial incentive to work hard and succeed, and so do the IDOs that are helping them along the way,” says Mayor Mike Duggan. “We really believe that this approach will result in a lot of Detroiters who had stopped trying to find work getting onto a path to gainful employment that can sustain them.”

Duggan will provide more enrollment details during a special evening address he will give today at 7 p.m., when he will show Detroiters how to access their share of $100 million in Detroit at Work training scholarships the city is offering.

The presentation will take place in City Hall’s 13th floor auditorium and live streamed on the city’s website and its social media platforms.

A key ingredient in the Jump Start approach is partnering with organizations that already have community trust and already are doing similar work. IDOs will coach and mentor each participant, monitor their progress, and identify potential barriers to success throughout the program.

The 18 organizations and the districts they serve are listed below:

  • International Institute of Metro Detroit: D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
  • Vincent & Sarah Fisher Center: D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
  • Focus Hope: D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7
  • Fit4Life Health and Fitness: D1, D2
  • The Open Door COGIC: D3
  • TMI Detroit Inc.: D3
  • Family Assistance for Renaissance Men: D3, D4, D5
  • Alkebu Lan Village: D3, D4, D5
  • Emerging Industries Training Institute: D3, D4, D6
  • The Black Bottom Group: D4
  • Urge Imprint – Detroit Friends and Family: D4, D5
  • Church of the Messiah Housing: D5
  • Teach Empower Achieve: D5
  • Center for Employment Opportunities: D5
  • Spectrum Human Services Inc.: D5
  • Detroit Hispanic Development Corp.: D6
  • Southwest Detroit Business Association: D6
  • The People’s Action: D6, D7

“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,” says 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.”

Many of these grassroots organizations have been doing this work for years but now can be paid based on the successes of their clients. The IDOs 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.

An example of this would be a person who is enrolled in a literacy program after failing an 8th grade reading test. The IDO would be paid $300 upon participant’s enrollment, another $300 when they complete the first six weeks of training, another $800 when the participant improves two grade levels in reading and another $800 once they have reached an 8th grade reading level. The participant can then move on to another program track.