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Forest Park unveils 'Elevate' workforce program aimed at unhoused and underemployed residents
Summary
City Manager Ricky Aloysius Wolfgang Lamar Clark III outlined a new workforce training pilot, Elevate, intended to connect up to 20–25 unhoused and underemployed residents with certificate programs and wraparound supports in partnership with Clayton State, Atlanta Tech and nonprofit intake services.
Forest Park City Manager Ricky Aloysius Wolfgang Lamar Clark III on Tuesday described a new pilot program, called Elevate, designed to provide workforce training and wraparound services for unhoused and underemployed residents.
Clark said the city developed the program after meetings with the mayor and local partners and with input from Calvary, the county's only homeless shelter. "We are completely done with the prototype," Clark said, and officials plan to present the program to mayor and council within the next 60 to 90 days.
The nut of the program, as Clark described it, is a short, cohort-based training tied to local colleges and credentialing. Clark said Forest Park is working with Clayton State University and Atlanta Tech University to deliver training and certification opportunities. The Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency will assist with intake to identify participants' needs and history and to provide case management, mental health support and financial literacy education.
City officials said the pilot will seek to enroll roughly 20 to 25 people so staff can provide close monitoring and supports. Clark also said the program will be open to residents who are underemployed as well as those who are unhoused. "We're not trying to enlist no more than 20 to 25 individuals," Clark said, noting the effort aims for measurable progress by the end of the year.
The program was developed over several months; Clark said partners recently confirmed participation and the city will seek governing-body approval and presentation materials in the coming weeks.
Ending: Officials said details about participant selection, curriculum and funding will be finalized before the program is presented to mayor and council. No formal approvals or budget actions were recorded in the meeting.
