Hartford nonprofit Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) is getting a $1.1 million federal grant to help 160 formerly incarcerated youth re-enter the workforce, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said.
OPP will recruit approximately 160 young people ages 18-24 from the North Hartford Promise Zone to receive legal services, work-readiness training, professional development and job placement support, as well as educational services, to help them become self-sufficient, Bronin said.
“This program will provide formerly incarcerated young people with the opportunities to develop themselves so they can live productive lives outside of prison,” said Hector Rivera, COO at OPP.
The re-entry project grant comes from the U.S. Department of Labor and is aimed at helping troubled youth successfully reenter their communities. National nonprofit FHI-360 received the full grant of $4.5 million, which will also fund similar endeavors in Los Angeles and St. Louis. FHI-360 selected OPP as an implementing partner in Hartford.
FHI-360 is launching the Compass Rose Collaborative, which will include OPP as well as corresponding organizations in Los Angeles and St. Louis. The collaborative will manage and coordinate assistance and develop and share new and existing tools and approaches, Bronin said.
