The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury voted Thursday to advertise a request for proposals for community partners to deliver services in education, employment and income management.

Bridal Garrison, assistant director of the Human Services Department, told jurors the RFP was overhauled to align with state trends toward workforce development. "So in order for us to position ourselves to stay competitive for future funding, we've reimagined what that RFP is gonna look like. So this year's focus is employment, income management, and education, all geared towards economic stability for that family by, gaining opportunities for higher paying wage," Garrison said.

Juror Smith moved the advertisement; Juror Lewis seconded the motion. Juror Guillory asked whether the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) had been canceled; a staff member replied that several programs had been canceled but indicated that this block-grant-funded RFP appears to be funded. The item carried with no recorded objections.

Garrison said the department reshaped the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) RFP to prioritize workforce-related services and position the parish to be competitive for state funding opportunities. The jury did not adopt program-level funding amounts or name awardees at the meeting.