NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Women’s Shelter (NOWS) announced that Entergy has awarded a $15,000 grant to its workforce program which prepares women to seek and obtain employment, aiding in ending the cycle of poverty that leads to homelessness.
According to Dawn Bradley-Fletcher, executive director of New Orleans Women’s Shelter, “The turning point for a mother and her children to successfully transition to independence happens when the mother has secured employment and can support a stable home for her family. We are very excited to partner with Entergy to ensure that the needs of the homeless women in our community are being met.”
NOWS will utilize the grant to implement employment preparation and placement, as well as childcare services. The Shelter supports women in job training, education, developing resumes, managing finances and transition plans, researching potential jobs and accessing employment. To assure that every mother is able to report to work daily and sustain employment, NOWS wants to help secure childcare services with a safe, reputable provider.
“Most of NOWS mothers opt to use state childcare assistance for daily childcare tuition,” says Bradleu-Fletcher. “To qualify for this, mothers must be able to document their employment and pay the application fees plus two weeks of advance payment. This presents a ‘Catch-22’ scenario for the mother because she must have a job to receive help, but does not have the funds from her job to pay in advance. NOWS helps with this so that every mother can begin her job without the financial strain in the beginning.”
This is the second year in a row that Entergy has partnered with NOWS to support homeless women and children. During 2014, Entergy generously provided $10,000 to support women with employment, housing and childcare assistance.
NOWS is the largest shelter for homeless women and children in the metro area. Since opening in 2007, NOWS has served more than 750 women and their dependent children, with more than 80 percent transitioning into independent living. NOWS recently moved from its original location on Franklin Avenue to a much larger facility in Central City.
NOWS reports a large majority (75%) of the children at the shelter are under the age of nine, and 80% of the women who graduate from the program transition to sustainable, independent living.
