More than 1,200 individuals will be served. The expertise and resources of the state, the Nicholson Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, and local faith-based and community organizations will play major roles. The project will complement existing services, such as the city's Opportunity Reconnect and the state's Another Chance re-entry programs. Specifically, this grant will create five access points housed in local faith-based and community groups that will serve as the "front door" for re-entry and be networked with a host of public and private services already available to ex-offenders.

"The purpose of this project is to determine whether the successful PRI strategy of community-based, mentor-supported and employment-focused re-entry can move beyond helping individuals to helping entire neighborhoods and a city recover from the burden of high rates of criminal recidivism," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Brent R. Orrell, who made the announcement of this award in Newark with New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker, and a contingent of partners and community members. "By leveraging the power of partnerships, Newark can be a model for other cities to drive down crime and raise up lives through a network of support that leads to employment."