Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana opens Workforce Office in Houma to Serve Foster Care Youth

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Friday, July 14, 2017, 9 AM

 WHO:             Goodwill Industries of SELA’s NEW Workforce Development Office

WHAT:                        Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Open House

WHEN:                        Friday, July 14, 2017, 8:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:          Goodwill Industries of SELA’s NEW Workforce Development Office

1750 Martin Luther King Blvd, Ste. 102, Houma, LA 70360

 WHY:               Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana has opened a Workforce Development office in Houma to provide case management, peer support, experiential and independent living skills training for 14-17 year olds in the state’s foster care system and to 18-26 year olds who have aged out of the system.  Initial housing set-up assistance is also available to 18-26 year olds that have aged out of the system.  Constituents from six parishes are served from Goodwill’s Houma office, including Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. James, St. John and St. Charles parishes.

A national Department of Children and Family Services report released earlier this year found that many youth who age out and are without support or guidance are almost 50 percent less likely to obtain their high school diploma by 19, and only 3 percent have earned college degrees by 25 (compared to 28 percent of everybody else). About half are unemployed.  Within a year of exiting care, one in five is homeless. Within two years, one in four is incarcerated. And the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder is 21.5 percent — five times higher than average, higher even than that of American war veterans.

Photo Op:    Ribbon cutting with Goodwill and local officials between 9 AM-9:15AM

 

ABOUT GOODWILl Industries of Southeastern louisiana

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission of offering opportunities to people with disabilities and other employment disadvantages to improve their economic self-sufficiency through training, education, support services and employment.  In 2016, 2,062 people received Goodwill’s employment and training services and 283 were placed into jobs.  Goodwill operates more than 30 janitorial and grounds maintenance contracts and 21 retail stores in 17 cities.  These enterprises support Goodwill’s mission services in the community that help put people to work and onto a path of economic self-sufficiency.

 

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