An innovative program to help Pennsylvania welfare recipients bridge the gap between public assistance and successful, lasting employment is being developed through a partnership between Mellon Financial Corporation and Penn State.

The Mellon Community Bridge Project will bring together Mellon, Penn State Cooperative Extension county-based educators, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, local businesses, and community agencies to create a support and training network for public assistance recipients entering the workforce. The program will be funded by a $1 million gift from the Mellon Financial Corporation Foundation to Penn State Cooperative Extension.

A $1 million gift from Mellon Financial Corporation will support the Mellon Community Bridge Project, a support and training network for people making the jump from welfare to work.

The project addresses a need created by changes in federal welfare policy. Recent welfare reform not only requires recipients to work in exchange for public support, but in most cases limits the time recipients can receive assistance.

“The project reflects the University’s strong commitment to workforce development across the Commonwealth,” says President Graham Spanier. “Mellon’s participation is especially significant, because it represents major financial support from the private sector for our cooperative extension programs, which traditionally have depended largely on public and University resources. We are deeply grateful to Mellon for taking this leadership role.”

“We’re pleased to join Penn State and the state Department of Public Welfare to create a program that will unite the state’s employers, residents, and community agencies to address an important and pressing community need,” says Martin G. McGuinn, Mellon chairman and chief executive officer.

The 10-year project will be piloted in Chester and Delaware Counties, then expanded statewide, according to project director Natalie Ferry, coordinator of special program initiatives for Penn State Cooperative Extension. “Over this period, we’ll do longitudinal research and follow up with participants to evaluate the program’s
effectiveness.”

The program model calls for the formation of a community advisory committee con- sisting of business managers, educators, human service professionals, and local residents. The committee will assess the community’s business climate and recruit a pool of local residents willing to volunteer as mentors for welfare clients.

“To focus the program, we need to know more about the employment environment for entry-level and lower-income employees,” Ferry explains.

Mentors will be trained to offer support and guidance for clients, helping them to identify strategies to improve their circumstances. Participants also will undergo employment skills assessments and take part in job skills training. In addition, clients will receive help in matching current skills to available training opportunities in the community, and they will be coached to match employment goals with realistic employment opportunities.

“The program’s objective reaches far beyond merely assisting low-income people to find work,” says Theodore Alter, associate vice president for outreach and director of cooperative extension. “The model is designed to show how local businesses can partner with other agencies to address critical social and economic issues in their communities.”

—Chuck Gill