Sussex County Leads State in Workforce Participation

For the second consecutive month, Sussex County achieved the state’s highest rate of participation in workforce activities for individuals who receive government assistance, announced officials at Project Self-Sufficiency, the county’s leading Work First job training agency. Sussex County consistently ranks in the top three counties for workforce participation activities. Additional government and non-government organizations which are incorporated into the county’s participation rate include the One-Stop Career Center, Sunrise House, and Sussex County Community College. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. States receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish the purposes of the TANF program.

“Families receiving TANF assistance must participate in work and job search activities as assigned through the Department of Labor & Workforce Development and the Division of Social Services,” explains Kyersten Rozanski, Coordinator of Project Self-Sufficiency’s Career Training & Employment Center. “Project Self-Sufficiency provides a positive, comprehensive program which incorporates employability skills training, job readiness, and access to Career Training & Employment Specialists to support participants in their other areas of need.”

TANF recipients are required to complete 35 hours of work activities per week. Project Self-Sufficiency serves approximately 100 male and female Work First participants each year by placing them in jobs at a variety of work sites, including Easter Seals, Manna House, Sussex County Public Health Nursing, Sussex County Administrative Center, Sussex County Community College, Work First New Jersey One Stop, Project Self-Sufficiency, and the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center.

Carol Novrit, Director of Sussex County’s Division of Social Services, underscores the importance of the Work First job training and employment program, noting, “Training and education are essential steps toward building a foundation for a future full of unlimited possibilities.”

Project Self-Sufficiency’s state-of-the-art Career Center caters to individuals who are in need of training, while providing additional support in areas outside of the workplace, such as parenting skills, access to the food pantry or legal services. Notes Rozanski, “We have a really strong work ethic in the Career Center. There is strong accountability and an expectation of professionalism. The environment here replicates a workplace, but we are able to support individuals as they address their unique challenges, like access to childcare, professional attire, job placement and case management.”

A provider of Work First and job training and employment services, Project Self-Sufficiency is a private non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income families residing in northwestern New Jersey. The agency’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents, two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to improve their lives and the lives of their children through the achievement of personal and economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Since 1986 Project Self-Sufficiency has served more than 20,000 families, including over 30,000 children. For information about the programs and services offered by Project Self-Sufficiency, visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org or call 973-940-3500.