The Kentucky Works Program supports the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the following Kentucky counties: Anderson, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Franklin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington, and Woodford.
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on both of our programs. While there is a current state of emergency, the state of Kentucky has implemented a “Good Cause Exemption” where clients are not required to participate in the programs. This good cause exemption is currently in effect through 10-31-2020 but could very well be extended until the end of the year or later. Although many participants have chosen not to continue to participate at this time, we currently have 27 clients that are employed. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working.
· On the SNAP Employment and Training program we continue to reach out to these clients and complete assessments when they are referred to us.
· We continue to stay in touch with employers and when we do get referrals we match the clients skills with the employer needs to have a good match. We call new employers each week and keep a current job listing for each county we serve.
· In September we followed up with all of our Work Experience Program sites to see if they were open and able to place our clients. We normally have 134 sites in our 17 counties. However, as of September 17, only 22 were open and/or willing to accept referrals due to Covid-19 which makes placement of new clients difficult – but not impossible.
· Our staff worked with the state of Kentucky to help with a survey of our clients in July through August. This survey was conducted on Kentucky Works Program clients ages 18-24. There were 130 clients that completed the survey. The survey discussed services provided by the program, how helpful they were, what other services could be provided, and what improvements could be made. The results were very positive and the clients showed appreciation for the help they receive in the program.
We continue to offer a wage subsidy program where if an employer hires one of our K-TAP clients they will be reimbursed for a portion of their wages during the first six month of employment. If you know a company willing to partner with the KY Works program, please contact Thomas Wheatley for more details at thomas.wheatley@ckcac.org.