Disability Rights Louisiana Included as Recipient of $300,000 From City of New Orleans’ ARPA Funding for Economic Mobility
Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA) is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $300,000 grant by the City of New Orleans, as one of ten organizations included in the $5 million dollar project “Economic Mobility in Motion: Moving New Orleanians Forward,” funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for programs that promote economic mobility throughout the community.
The grant award will fund a portion of DRLA’s Financial Access Inclusion & Resources (FAIR) program, the Gulf Coast’s sole reentry and financial coaching initiative specifically tailored to formerly incarcerated people with disabilities.
Since its inception in 2019, FAIR, with funding from Kessler Foundation, Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF), JPMorgan Chase & Co., Baptist Community Ministries, and the RosaMary Foundation has served just under 200 people, addressing barriers to employment, including access to food, shelter, financial literacy, and medical care.
Trained in financial coaching, benefits counseling, and disability-informed case management strategies, FAIR staff collaborate with clients to identify their financial goals and to address their prioritized needs. FAIR’s methods and outcomes have been evaluated and considered a success by researchers at Rutgers University and University of New Orleans, as program participants experience higher employment rates and lower recidivism rates than the general disability population.
As outlined in FAIR’s 4-year report published in October of 2023:
https://disabilityrightsla.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DRLA-FAIR-Program-Overview-Outcomes_September-2023-3.pdf
• Fifty-one percent of all FAIR clients who have actively engaged in the program secured jobs. This is significant because, in 2022, only 21% of people with disabilities, regardless of criminal records, were employed, and people with criminal records, regardless of disabilities, are 50% less likely to receive a job offer.
• FAIR has captured a cumulative total monthly income increase of $103,062 per month among 55% of its active clients. Furthermore, FAIR documented a cumulative total of $124,074 in reduced debt among 32% of active clients.
• Only 4% of FAIR clients served in its first 4 years have reported being re-incarcerated. By contrast, Louisiana DOC reports that 27% of individuals return to incarceration within two years of their release.
“We are proud to house the premier financial coaching and case management program focused on individuals at the intersection of disability and reentry. We are incredibly grateful to the City of New Orleans for joining our private funding partners in their critical support for the FAIR program so that we can continue and expand our services to this historically underserved community,” says DRLA’s Director of Community Advocacy, Debra Weinberg.
“I am deeply appreciative of the City of New Orleans’ investment in the FAIR program. This additional funding serves as a significant boost to our program, complementing the invaluable contribution of our primary funder, Baptist Community Ministries,” says Carolyn LeBrane Tilton MPH, FAIR Program Manager. “Together, these investments enable us to continue our mission of providing unparalleled financial coaching and case management services to formerly incarcerated individuals navigating the challenges and complexities at the crossroads of disability and reentry, here in New Orleans and across the state of Louisiana,”
The City of New Orleans made their announcement on Wednesday, January 10th:
“The programs selected for the Economic Mobility in Motion program truly meet our people where they are and propel them forward, along with their families,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We are investing our ARPA dollars to support thousands of New Orleanians who need it most, setting them up for success through improving their financial literacy, career opportunities and overall economic prospects. The selected programs represent a variety of initiatives that are making a real difference for our people, and I express my gratitude to them for ensuring no one is left behind as we move New Orleans forward.”
“The ten organizations selected proposed programs that will provide critical support to approximately 3,000 members of our community over the next three years to improve their financial security and well-being.”
For more information about the program and the selected organizations, you can read the full press release by the City of New Orleans here:
For more information about the FAIR Program, visit:
https://disabilityrightsla.org/how-we-can-help/fair/
For more information about DRLA’s FAIR Program, please contact Program Manager Carolyn LeBrane Tilton at (504) 272-2252 or via email at ctilton@disabilityrightsla.org.
