26 Jan Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) Receives $25,000 Grant From the State of Missouri Department of Corrections, Community Reentry Fund

Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the State of Missouri Department of Corrections, Community Reentry Fund to support their Learning to Earning employment program.

Learning to Earning is a client-focused employment services program. Clients can take job readiness classes to learn how to improve their resumes and their interview preparation.  Staff teaches clients about strategically searching for appropriate positions and about the online application process.  MLM provides computer skills training to those who need it in order to complete these applications.  Staff help clients fill out applications and track their job search progress through logs.  A phone bank is available to clients to make follow up contact to potential employers to call about the status of application and try to set up interviews. Frequently, clients need to be encouraged to take this step and guided on how to do this without seeming pushy.  Bus passes are available to clients who need to travel to and from interviews.

The purpose of the Community Reentry Awards is to enhance public safety in local communities by allowing community organizations to assist in providing evidence-based services that assist offenders in becoming law abiding citizens.  For each new crime, there is a new victim and new costs to Missouri’s communities.  The Department of Corrections and MLM are working to increase the success rate of offenders on supervision and decrease the number of people going or returning to prison.

For over 40 years, Metro Lutheran Ministry has ministered to the poor, homeless, elderly and disabled in the greater Kansas City area.  MLM uses a holistic approach with strengths-based and outcome-based counseling and case management to guide clients toward greater independence and self-reliance.  Metro Lutheran Ministry has experience with providing other services to the target population, including housing, food, and emergency assistance.