A.G. Gancarski
As the Lenny Curry administration’s rebooted Jacksonville Journey takes shape, key initiatives are being considered by the Oversight Committee. During Thursday afternoon’s meeting of the group, two big ones that came up were an RFP to facilitate ex-offender re-entry programs, and a Jacksonville Journey commitment to the Jacksonville Public Library’s Project L.E.A.P.
The ex-offender re-entry program was something in Jacksonville Journey in its original permutation. The proposal this time around is intended to capitalize on favorable economic conditions by setting up a performance-pay plan, that would compensate organizations based on helping people get living wage jobs.
The RFP went out on Wednesday, and interest has been keen. It has been downloaded 25 times already.
The award process should be completed by the end of October.
Another initiative that will fall under the Journey umbrella: Project L.E.A.P., which will use Urban Core libraries as launching pads for early literacy initiatives and for remedial education for young adults from the ages of 16 to 24 in what is known as Health Zone 1.
This builds on a proposal advanced by Councilman Tommy Hazouri, who helped the JPL refine it and helped it through the Finance Committee and into the budget.
Representing the Curry administration, Charles Moreland noted the administration’s commitment to making the Journey funds “move the needle” in terms of redressing social inequities.
