A local nonprofit organization is launching a workforce development project designed to help adults 18 and older in eastern Winston-Salem obtain job training and life skills so they will be successful in their lives.
“Opportunity changes everything,” said John C. Parks, the president of the New Hope Resource Center of Winston-Salem Inc. “And we believe today, it starts here.”
Parks discussed the project at a news conference on Wednesday in the Burke Public Safety Center. About 50 people, including representatives of 16 community partners working with the project, attended the event.
Organizers have secured two $25,000 grants from the Twin City Development Foundation and the Winston-Salem Foundation to start the project, Parks said.
On Oct. 6, a group of 40 people will be selected to participate, Parks said. Beginning Nov. 1, the participants will meet four days a month in three-hour sessions.
The applicants will be referred by the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Samaritan Ministries of Winston-Salem, The Dwelling Church that helps homeless people, Insight Human Services, which provides treatment for people addicted to drugs and local community residents.
Speakers at the news conference praised the project, saying that it will help address the city’s issues with crime, poverty and homelessness.
Parks described the project’s first 40 enrollees as “hope achievers,” who will participate in the program for nearly a year.
“If they are successful, they should come out with skills, with some motivation, and a mind reset, which will do them well in the next phases of their life,” Mayor Allen Joines said.
“We have to change that direction, that trajectory for their lives,” Joines said.
Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams said the project is a game changer for the city.
“This is the only way that we are going to make a difference in the lives of our citizens here in Winston-Salem,” said Adams, who represents the North Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council.
Barbara Burke, who represents the Northeast Ward on the city council, said the project is a bold investment in the future of Winston-Salem.
The project was created to especially help the residents in the Northeast Ward, Burke said.
“The impact of this program will have a ripple effect across this entire city,” Burke said. “This program helps individuals gain confidence, skills and support they need to take control of their futures and also to thrive.”
The program also will restore the participants’ dignity, strengthen households, reduce poverty and strengthen neighborhoods, Burke said.
District Attorney Jim O’Neill said his staff will work with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Winston-Salem police to refer offenders to the project in a pre-trial diversion program.
“People are going to stub their toes,” O’Neill said. “But if they’re committed to getting jobs and bettering themselves, we are all for it.”
The project will help its participants gain the skills and training to qualify for jobs that pay $50,000 to $70,000 annually, Parks said.
The participants will receive financial guidance to help them spend their salaries in a responsible way, Parks said.
“We expect to see every person grow,” Parks said.
The project will not be easy for the participants, Parks said.
“It’s a gauntlet,” Parks said. “They will have to go through some things.”
In the project’s second year, organizers plan to enroll 300 people beginning in October 2026, Parks said.
“No individual will feel like they are walking alone,” Parks said.
jhinton@wsjournal.com
336-727-7299
@jhintonWSJ
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
John Hinton
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today