Funds released Friday by the White House to help float the second year of the Welfare-to-Work Program included $516,000 for the Virgin Islands, according to Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen.
Nine states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico also received funds. Funding for the program is allotted based on the population below a certain income level.
The money will be used to expand a variety of programs and services available as part of the territory’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.
"This is welcome news for the Department of Labor and the territory as we continue to struggle with difficult budget choices," Christensen said. "Among some of the services that will be provided as a result of these funds will be job readiness, work experience, on-the-job training and various other post-employment services such as child care and transportation services."
This is the final phase of Welfare-to-Work unless Congress reauthorizes the program, Christensen said. She noted, however, that the Clinton Administration has sent legislation to Congress to reauthorize the program, which helps long-term welfare recipients move into lasting, unsubsidized employment, and to invest an additional $1 billion.
