State of Virginia Selects Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) to Improve Outcomes for SNAP E&T

SEATTLE, Nov. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI: http://www.seattlejobsinitiative.com), a recognized leader in designing, implementing, and sharing solutions to decrease wage inequality, today announced it has been hired to assist the State of Virginia to develop and improve its SNAP E&T program.

Virginia joins Georgia, Kentucky, Washington, Cuyahoga County (Ohio), Ventura County (California), the City of Detroit, and others that have hired SJI to operate and expand their SNAP E&T programs. The State of Virginia has turned to SJI for its proven ability to implement systems, establish processes, develop partnerships, and build staffing capacity needed for states' SNAP E&T programs to run more effectively and efficiently.

"The federal government and state governments are working hard to help people move off SNAP faster through effective employment and training programs, but it can be challenging to implement the necessary processes to drive participation, which is critical for generating the best outcomes," said David Kaz, Director of Consulting with Seattle Jobs Initiative. "Our approach is one built on national best practices that can be easily customized on a state-by-state basis. This helps states get laser focused on building their SNAP E&T program infrastructure and driving SNAP E&T participation to help marginalized populations move into careers that put them on a path to self-sufficiency."

How SNAP E&T Works

SNAP E&T (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training) is central to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) commitment to helping SNAP participants move to meaningful work while ensuring their access to nutritious food in tough times. The SNAP E&T program works by helping SNAP participants gain skills, training, or work experience to increase their ability to obtain regular employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency and reduces their need for food assistance. States are required to operate SNAP E&T programs and are currently provided about $300 million annually by USDA FNS to administer them. See how the program works here.

How the SJI SNAP E&T Platform Works

With 15 years of experience under its belt working with 29 states, SJI is the leading expert on operating the federal SNAP E&T program with its deep understanding of workforce development programs and a long history of designing and running employment training initiatives that serve low income populations. SJI assists state and county SNAP agencies, potential and current SNAP E&T provider partners (such as community/technical colleges and community-based organizations), local governments, funders and others to develop, expand and improve high-quality SNAP E&T programs. This work is critical in helping partners overcome typical operational challenges of managing SNAP E&T programs and to help participants become more competitive in the labor market.     

SJI's SNAP E&T technical assistance encompasses all aspects of SNAP E&T including, but not limited to, the following areas:

• SNAP E&T strategic/business plan development: SJI will help states build a planning team, implement and execute a planning process, and develop a strategic/business for SNAP E&T program development and growth that supports their SNAP E&T State Plans submitted to FNS.
• SNAP E&T program development and operations: SJI will help build out agency staffing and structure, identify resources and help educate and train third-party partners. In addition, SJI will manage and integrate SNAP E&T with workforce and other systems (WIOA, TANF, housing), as well as build client data systems and processes for managing eligibility, billing, engagement, and tracking.
• Financial reporting and compliance: SJI will implement processes for contracting, monitoring, and evaluating compliance, as well as managing billing and fund tracking. In addition, SJI will create reporting and billing forms to help streamline fiscal processes to minimize administrative costs.

Access a two-page overview of SJI's SNAP E&T Technical Assistance here.

About Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI)

SJI is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is a nationally recognized leader in designing, implementing, and sharing solutions that measureable help people escape poverty through the attainment of skills and good jobs. Most recently, SJI was awarded the WorkSource Operator Role by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC). For more information visit http://www.seattlejobsinitiative.com.

SOURCE Seattle Jobs Initiative