Community Jobs is the first and largest program in the nation to provide welfare recipients with paychecks for their work in the public and private nonprofit sectors. A component of the state’s WorkFirst welfare reform program, Community Jobs incorporates training, intensive support services, and paid work that all lead toward  permanent economic self-sufficiency. Community Jobs creates a wage ladder for very low-income people and is one of the state’s most successful programs serving hard-to employ individuals.

Goal:  To achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency for individuals who are moving from welfare to work.

Key program elements:  Community Jobs is a work program.

• Participants earn a paycheck for hours worked.
• Participants step onto a job ladder that leads to economic self-sufficiency and steady employment.
• Participants begin a structured plan toward a living wage and independence from welfare.