WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Congressman John Larson (CT-1), and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin announced on Tuesday that the City of Hartford will receive approximately $800,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to help young adults in North Hartford’s Promise Zone who are exiting the correctional system find employment, reunite with their families, and reintegrate back into the community. The City of Hartford received priority consideration for the federal grant as a result of North Hartford’s Promise Zone designation. The nearly $1 million grant will build on the city’s Promise Zone initiative and design Reentry Demonstration Projects for young adults ages 18 to 24 that apply evidence-based interventions – such as mentoring, career pathways, and registered apprenticeships – that lead to meaningful employment. 

"Too often, young men and women return from the justice system without the support they need to find a job and care for themselves and their families. Instead, they face stigmas and barriers that put them at risk of returning to crime and falling into a dangerous, downward spiral,” said Murphy, Blumenthal, and Larson. “This grant will help dozens of young men and women get the second chance they deserve to be successful, law-abiding members of our community. We’re thrilled to see it bring more life-changing opportunities to the people of North Hartford.”

“This is great news for Hartford," said Mayor Bronin. "We are working hard to make sure that our Promise Zone designation really pays off, and the STRIVE grant will help us make progress on two of our top priorities: expanding youth employment and offering second chances.  Thanks to Senators Blumenthal and Murphy and Congressman Larson, as well as the Obama Administration, for their support. I also want to thank the STRIVE program and other community groups who are helping us build a stronger, safer community through programs like this that provide second-chance employment opportunities.”

This grant marks the third award benefiting youth and young offenders that the North Hartford Promise Zone has received in three months. In April 2016, the Promise Zone received a $100,000 grant for the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program and in May 2016, the Promise Zone received a Summer Jobs and Beyond Grant.