Locally, the National organization, Communities-In- Schools is addressing the issue of creating parent student academic partnerships with four model school programs. The programs provide resources to underserved families on selected school campuses. The program serves some of the same socio-economically challenged communities targeted by New HEART. Collaborating with Communities-In-Schools will allow New Heart to support the existing model and expand opportunities for parents and family members. Through New Heart, at-risk underserved communities receive job training in a side-by-side intergenerational environment where students, parents, community members and families are working together.
Through the statewide GAIN program, parents receiving Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) are receiving job training in a number of GAIN programs that operate in urban as well as suburban communities. A Welfare-to-Work type program, GAIN, is designed to move clients off the welfare rolls and transition them into permanent jobs. The program is specific to participants who have children. However, there is little other than General Reliefto assist individuals who do not have children but are, never-the-less in need of food, clothing, shelter and emotional support to become contributing members of society. Additionally, since most, of the programs are concerned with the needs of women and children there is often a gap in services and resources for the growing number of fathers and grandparents rearing children and, the many male and female adults and youth who were previously incarcerated and those who suffer the after effects of substance abuse.
New Heart's programs complement existing programs by providing temp-to-permanent jobs that allow participants to receive more extensive on-the-job training. Further, having an opportunity to gain additional experience,