Pathways out of Poverty

[2] Pathways Out of Poverty is administered by the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

Roughly $150 million is authorized by the ARRA and is granted in amounts from $2 million-$8 million to eight national and 30 local entities for the provision of training and placement services in order “to provide pathways out of poverty and into employment.”[2] The Department of Labor particularly encouraged applicants to focus on serving Public Micro Data Areas (PUMAs) with poverty rates of 15 percent or higher.

[2] Pathways Out of Poverty is part of the "fourth wave" of economic development, which stipulates an environmentally-sustainable approach.

[2] In addition, some grantees report recruiting public assistance recipients, the homeless, people with disabilities, older workers, women, minorities, and refugees.

[2] Each grantee is free to choose and make partnerships with any organization, including public, private, and not-for-profit.

[2] The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration announced the 38 national and local organizations that would be receiving grants on January 13, 2010.

[2] The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration particularly encouraged applicants to focus on serving Public Micro Data Areas (PUMAs) with poverty rates of 15 percent or higher.

[2] The primary focus of this program is sector-based: grantees are working backwards from specific job categories to design training and place individuals.

[3] About seventeen of POP grantees explicitly mentioned helping participants with “basic or soft skills.”[2] Support and wraparound services could include free childcare, assistance with transportation, and counseling.