NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Kingsley House, a nonprofit organization renowned for service to children, families and seniors for 124 years, has been awarded a $425,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in support of Kingsley Connections, a career pathways program that links adults to career development, job training and employment opportunities in high-growth industries in the Greater New Orleans area. The 36-month grant addresses poverty among the families of Kingsley House’s 1,500 children enrolled in Head Start/Early Head Start programs, and aims to close systemic gaps by helping underserved families in the community earn higher incomes, lower their debt to monthly income ratio, save money, and gain long-term economic security.
In 2019, the results of an internal survey indicated that only 8 percent of the over 700 families enrolled at Kingsley House were earning a living wage. Kingsley House responded to these results with the creation of a pathway for families leading to economic security. In that initial year, the Kellogg Foundation was instrumental in supporting Kingsley House’s vision and providing a planning grant to build the robust Kingsley Connections program.
Kingsley Connections leverages community partnerships to create career opportunities for parents and families to earn a living wage. The three pathways of the Kingsley Connections program include career readiness, career development, and career advancement. Together with strategic partners, Kingsley House provides the education, training, and skills necessary for securing and maintaining better paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, building & construction, healthcare, information technology and hospitality. Kingsley House also ensures that social barriers of program participants are addressed such as quality childcare, transportation assistance, and housing support.
Kingsley House annually provides nationally-accredited and state-certified programs and services to more than 7,000 individuals through multiple programs including Early Learning Services, Adult Day Care, and Community and Supportive Services. “Through the Whole Family Approach at Kingsley House, we understand that a child’s success hinges on family success and are profoundly grateful to the Kellogg Foundation for its continued generous support of our Kingsley Connections program, which seeks to address social and economic inequity among members of our community. With COVID-19’s disproportionate economic impact on underserved communities, programs like Kingsley Connections are needed more than ever to help us recover from this devastating pandemic,” said Keith Liederman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Kingsley House.
