$20m Grant To Hire Displaced Workers For Greensburg, Kansas Recovery

Sebelius, Roberts & Moran announce successful Commerce request

May 17, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Labor has approved a $20 million grant request from the Kansas Department of Commerce to employ Greensburg citizens for cleanup efforts, Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Senator Pat Roberts and Congressman Jerry Moran announced today. According to the Department of Labor, there will be an initial release of $12 million.

While the focus of the grant will involve employing workers to clean-up the devastated city, the remaining funds could be used for training individuals for new careers. Commerce applied for the National Emergency Grant last week.

“This is very good news for Greensburg, because it will allow workers who lost their jobs as a result of the storm to earn income while helping their community recover,” said Sebelius. “I’m thankful the Dept. of Commerce recognized this need and worked with our delegation to help secure funding.”

Senator Roberts said, “I am pleased the U.S. Department of Labor has immediately taken a bold step to provide real opportunities to those displaced by the tornados. These funds will give folks the step up they need to start rebuilding their lives and will give them the peace of mind a steady paycheck provides.”

“For the community of Greensburg and surrounding areas, this means good things,” Congressman Moran said. “Not only did residents lose their homes, but also their places of work. The ability to employ area residents in the clean up efforts will be an important jump start for the local economy.”

These employment and training services will be delivered by the local workforce investment board. Applications for work are now being accepted at the one-stop shop in Haviland at Barclay College.

The Department of Commerce and the local board staff will aggressively explore available options for utilizing these funds to create a well-trained workforce and meet the needs of area employers.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, grant funds can be used to provide an “employment bridge” for temporarily dislocated workers awaiting reopening/reconstruction of the workplace, as well as re-employment services, including re-training, for workers who may become permanently displaced due to the workplace either not reopening or reopening at a reduced capacity.

In addition to providing temporary jobs, this grant will provide necessary tools, safety equipment and other resources to aid in the rebuilding of Greensburg/Kiowa County.

“I am thrilled we were able to secure this grant for the people of Greensburg,” said David Kerr, Secretary of Commerce. “The historic storm displaced hundreds of workers, and we hope this grant will go a long way, not only toward creating temporary jobs in the recovery efforts, but toward creating a foundation for future growth.”

Source: Kansas Governor

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