WORKING WARDROBES FOR A NEW START (3)

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3. Population A.Working Wardrobes will serve a total of 20 youth through the Rebuilding Careers Program for Young Adults.These participants will be out-of-school youth, ages 16-24, who face significant barriers to entering the workforce. B.The youth served will be between the ages of 16 and 24. Youth ages 18 to 24 will primarily be placed at off-site host agencies for work experience to help remove any barriers partners may have in working with under aged youth.Youth ages 16-24 will be eligible to gain work experience at Working Wardrobes social enterprise locations. C. In addition to meeting WIOA youth eligibility requirements, Working Wardrobes will ensure that at least 25% of the total participants are either justice-involved, homeless and/or foster youth. In addition, participants must demonstrate a commitment to full engagement with the program.This will be assessed through their participation in an initial intake assessment and program orientation, which will ensure they understand the program's requirements and are prepared to benefit from the services offered. D. Working Wardrobes will identify prospective participants by leveraging its extensive network of referral partners, including mission-aligned organizations serving transitional-age foster youth,youth experiencing homelessness, and justice-involved youth.These partners will help ensure that eligible youth,who require additional support to succeed in both their educational and employment goals, are referred to the program.Additionally, Working Wardrobes will recruit prospective participants through its core Rebuilding Careers workforce skills training program, identifying youth seeking to enroll in its services who would benefit from this specialized support.To further extend outreach, Working Wardrobes will continue to collaborate with OC Probation and Parole established through Working Wardrobes' current contract with the City of Santa Ana, the Prison to Employment, P2E program to engage probationary youth, as well as outreach to sober and transitional living centers like HealthRight 360 and Nancy Clark(The Recovery Center). The organization will also seek referrals from existing youth-serving partners with established relationships, like Sunburst Academy, an alternative, military-based educational program that works with low-income youth, OC Department of Education ACCESS programs,Youth Guidance Center and Simon Scholars Foundation that offers leadership programs for youth, all of which have received workforce readiness services from Working Wardrobes. Recruitment efforts will be focused on the recognition that Working Wardrobes has identified out-of-school youth as an underserved population, as many fall outside the services of existing youth program collaborators. While many of Working Wardrobes' youth-focused community partners serve in-school youth, some young people are left without support when they no longer qualify for or are not a good fit for these programs.A direct referral to an alternative program like Rebuilding Careers for Youth enables partners to connect out-of-school youth to comprehensive case management services, providing the support needed to achieve their career goals.