Capital Area Michigan Works! plans to close two full-time offices in St. Johns and Charlotte on July 1.
The organization is reducing operations in response to a planning estimate released by the U.S. Department of Labor in December. The estimate projected a 10% reduction in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program funding across Michigan.
Carrie Rosingana, CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works!, says the department’s annual planning estimates are based largely on state unemployment rates. Final funding figures are expected in April and can vary from state to state.
“A state like Michigan that was either pretty much in line with where the federal unemployment numbers were or slightly lower than that, then that can cause a decrease in funding whereas there may be states that had higher unemployment numbers during that time, which may see a slight uptick in funding,” Rosingana said.
Despite the closures, Rosingana said her organization’s workforce programs will still be available in both communities.
“We will continue to offer services to help individuals with their re-employment needs,” she said.
“We will still offer Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs to work with adults, individuals who’ve been displaced from employment, as well as youth. We just won’t be able to enroll individuals at the same capacity that we are right now because of those budget cuts.”
Rosingana said the organization is exploring new locations to open appointment-only offices in St. Johns and Charlotte to continue supporting job seekers.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.