Detroit at Work presents $66 million FY26 plan; council sends multiple workforce items to executive session

Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), the nonprofit that runs Detroit at Work, told Detroit City Council on the record that its fiscal year 2026 budget is projected at $66,000,000 and described program outcomes, ARPA‑funded pilot results and plans to expand career‑center outreach and training programs.

DESC Executive Director Terry Weems opened the presentation, saying, “I am Terry Weems. I'm the executive director of workforce for the city of Detroit and Detroit at Work.” She and DESC staff reviewed the organization’s career‑center footprint, employer partnerships and youth programs, and reported referral and placement counts tied to employer agreements.

DESC chief fiscal and operations lead Dana Williams told council the FY26 budget estimate is $66,000,000 and that the organization’s revenue mix includes Department of Labor formula dollars, competitive federal grants, city funding, corporate and philanthropic investments and ARPA. Williams said DESC’s career services, youth programming, supportive services, training and administration remain the primary allocation areas.

Chief program officer Stephanie Nixon described outcomes tied to specific grants and projects. She said DESC has referred “over 44,000 residents to these employers with over 14,000 Detroiters hired” through employer partnerships, and that training programs have reached “over 45,000 Detroiters” with “job placements, over 3,400 to this point at an average wage of $31 an hour.” Nixon also said more than 8,600 young people were placed through youth employment programming last year and reported current enrollments in specific pilots such as Skills for Life (about 800 enrolled) and Jumpstart (about 1,800 enrolled).

Council members pressed DESC on program measurement, transitions after ARPA funding ends, barriers to employment and plans for mobile outreach. Weems and DESC staff outlined several steps they said they are taking or planning:

- Continue post‑ARPA “baking in” of successful practices into core services rather than maintaining the ARPA stipend model; DESC staff described Jumpstart and Skills for Life as short‑term, intensive pilots whose lessons will be embedded into ongoing services. Nixon said, “We plan to bake that into our services going forward.” - Expand career‑readiness and “personal management” training (what staff called career‑readiness or “grandma skills”), with DESC exploring credentialing and making completion of a short, two‑week readiness curriculum a prerequisite for some training or job referrals. - Analyze the nine career‑center footprint to determine whether to maintain, relocate or supplement fixed centers with partnerships, pop‑ups in libraries/rec centers and business or faith‑based sites. DESC said it is studying busiest versus less busy centers and considering “pop ups” and library/rec‑center partnerships. - Strengthen partnerships with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC/Creo) and other economic development partners to align developer hiring commitments with training pipelines. - Target known barriers to employment — housing, transportation and childcare — with short‑ and long‑term strategies. Weems said transportation, housing and childcare are the “big three” barriers.

Votes and follow‑up motions: council members repeatedly moved to add related topics to the meeting’s closing executive session. Those procedural motions were approved “hearing no objections.” The council directed follow‑up work and study rather than approving new program budgets on the floor.

Votes at a glance

- Add expansion of Detroit at Work Career Centers to executive session — motion approved (hearing no objections). - Add transition of ARPA‑funded programs (Skills for Life, Jumpstart, Learn to Earn) to executive session for closing resolution language regarding continuation/transition — approved (hearing no objections). - Add apprenticeship program discussion to executive session (including a motion later clarified to focus on skilled‑trades apprenticeships) — approved (hearing no objections). - Put mobile outreach vehicles on the executive session agenda: council approved a motion to study four vans (and preventative maintenance) and an amendment to add four full‑time equivalent staff positions for outreach — approved (hearing no objections). - Study expanding youth workforce programs earlier than age 14 (elementary and middle school exploration) and add to executive session — approved (hearing no objections). - Study a coordinated pipeline linking skilled‑trade apprenticeship programs with projects in the city (DEGC/Creo pipeline coordination) — approved (hearing no objections). - Study partnership/marketing expansion with Michigan Department of Corrections and expand marketing to reach returning citizens — approved (hearing no objections). - Study a joint workforce‑housing program to pair employment and affordable housing for returning citizens and other workers — approved (hearing no objections).

Why it matters

DESC told council it has delivered large‑scale placements and training and that several ARPA‑funded pilots produced lessons the agency plans to incorporate into core services. Council members pressed for concrete retention metrics, durable funding strategies for pilots after ARPA, and more visible, neighborhood‑based outreach. Multiple council members also framed workforce investment as part of a broader city strategy to build middle‑class jobs, stabilizing families and supporting long‑term neighborhood retention.

What DESC said about barriers and next steps

DESC identified housing, transportation and childcare as the most significant barriers to connecting Detroiters with jobs; staff said short‑term supports (bus passes, ride services, short‑term insurance or auto repair) are being used while longer‑term policy solutions are explored. DESC said it is increasing employer outreach (including conversations about “ban the box” and drug‑testing policies) and developing a stronger credentialed career‑readiness curriculum to improve retention and employer fit.

Council follow‑up and oversight

Council members scheduled multiple workforce issues for executive session review and asked DESC to return with more specific metrics, a plan for mobile outreach (four vans and staffing), a strategy for transitioning ARPA pilots into sustainable models, and a coordinated apprenticeship/hiring pipeline aligned to development projects monitored by DEGC/Creo.

Quotes (selected)

- “I am Terry Weems. I'm the executive director of workforce for the city of Detroit and Detroit at Work,” — Terry Weems, DESC executive director. - “Our fiscal year 26 budget is estimated to be $66,000,000,” — Dana Williams, DESC lead. - “We have referred over 44,000 residents to these employers with over 14,000 Detroiters hired,” — Stephanie Nixon, DESC chief program officer.

Ending

Council members praised DESC’s outcomes but used procedural motions to require more detailed follow‑up. Most motions asked staff for implementation plans, metrics and estimated costs to be discussed in executive session; no additional funding approvals were made on the council floor during this hearing. DESC said it will continue to provide data to council and to work with partners — DEGC/Creo, schools, colleges and employers — to refine pipelines for youth, apprenticeships and returning citizens.