HARTFORD - U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Congressman Jim Himes (D-4) today announced $2.4 million in grant funds awarded to The WorkPlace of Bridgeport, which will be used towards improving opportunities for adults and youths who have been involved in the criminal justice system. The WorkPlace is an organization that is geared towards strengthening and developing the Connecticut workforce. The organization will receive a Face Forward grant worth $1,048,235, as well as a Training to Work grant for $1,359,845. The Face Forward program focuses on helping youth in the juvenile justice system attain the skills necessary to acquire good jobs. The Training to Work program is aimed at assisting adult men and women in the state or local work release programs to acquire the skills necessary for in-demand jobs as they re-enter society. Each program is designed to target communities that have high poverty and crime rates.

“Each day, men and women return from the criminal justice system to our neighborhoods, and without the skills and habits needed to succeed in the workplace—and with the stigmas and barriers posed by a record—they are at risk of returning to crime. These important grants will provide adults and youth with criminal records the opportunity to acquire the vital skills they need to secure stable, positive employment—strengthening and supporting both our economy and local communities. The WorkPlace has a powerful history of success, and we are confident that with these new federal dollars, they will continue that impressive track record,” Blumenthal, Murphy, and Himes stated.