U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today announced a $150 million "Pathways out of Poverty" grant dedicated to providing green jobs and training to the disaffected and unemployed, such as the poor, high school dropouts and ex-criminal offenders.
The grants will help people learn skills such as creating parts for enormous wind turbines and installing solar panels.
Much of the money is targeting areas that are heavily Hispanic.
"The Latino community has suffered tremendously during the recession since it began in December of 2007," Solis said in today's news teleconference. "We are, through this effort, providing the best assistance we can directly to communities of color ... coming from high unemployment areas."
The grant is part of a $500 million initiative in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 promoting careers in energy efficiency.
Thirty-eight grants in all will be awarded, going to organizations focusing in communities where at least l5 percent of the population lives in poverty.
Solis said grants will go to 15 cities where the Hispanic population exceeds 20 percent. They include San Jose, San Diego, Chicago, Denver and Austin.
About $24 million of the $150 million grant is aimed at putting people with criminal records back to work.
Another $8 million is earmarked for green-job training and placement in the U.S. Commonwealth or Puerto Rico.
U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez of California area said the grant will help low-income families find long-term economic self-sufficiency.
"To tackle the unemployment numbers, we need short-term strategies and long-term strategies," she said. "This grant addresses both. It helps train people immediately for jobs, and provides job skills for the future."
