Ivy Tech & City of Fort Wayne announce partnership with 3 local organizations to assist SNAP benefits recipients
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne and the City of Fort Wayne announced a partnership between Ivy Tech Fort Wayne, Parkview Health, Neighborhood Health Clinic, and Fort Wayne UNITED to promote the College’s Ivy Works program.
This partnership will give clients receiving SNAP benefits at these organizations an opportunity to explore the Ivy Works program, which is a special federally funded program that helps remove the non-academic barriers for students receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by providing wraparound services. Allen County alone has nearly 18,000 SNAP recipients as of Sept. 2018.
Information sessions for eligible clients will take place Nov. 12 through Dec. 12 at the Neighborhood Health Clinic’s downtown location, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday and 5 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday.
“The Ivy Works program was developed to help those individuals receive the training and support needed to achieve economic stability through employment in high-demand, high-wage jobs,” says Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier, Ed.D. “Ivy Tech Fort Wayne is committed to serving the community and forming partnerships to meet northeast Indiana’s most pressing needs.”
Individuals on SNAP benefits can earn a certificate in 12 weeks under Home Care Tech, Industrial Maintenance, or CNC Machining. The program assists with starting a new career, learning new job skills, connecting with community referrals to get HSE, and assisting with the enrollment process. There will be other possible opportunities to receive assistance with transportation, childcare, career clothing, mental health counseling, and more. Ivy Works, which runs through September 2019, is for Allen County residents and aims to help 100 students. The nutrition assistance program is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services and targets low and no income families. Benefits are administered at a state level. Learn more at IN.gov.
“I am appreciative of this partnership we’ve been able to form to help provide opportunities for individuals who want to make a meaningful difference in our community,” says Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “We want to be a leader in putting residents in position to succeed and have access to services that will have a lasting and positive impact.”
For more information on the Ivy Works program, visit the College’s services and resources website or call 260-480-4209.
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