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REP LIEU VISITS ST. JOSEPH CENTER TO CELEBRATE FUNDING HE SECURED FOR JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS

January 19, 2023

LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) visited St. Joseph Center, a Venice-based nonprofit that provides programs focused on housing, mental health, education and vocational training for homeless and low-income individuals in Los Angeles County. Congressman Lieu secured$898,053 for the St. Joseph Center's Purpose Lab Employment Project in the FY 2023 appropriations bill. The goal of the Purpose Lab Employment Project is to expand the successful job training and career development programs at St. Joseph Center, which serves people who are experiencing homelessness or those who are at risk of becoming homeless.

Congressman Lieu issued the following statement after meeting with St. Joseph Center leadership and presenting the $898,053 check.

"St. Joseph Center has spent decades making an impact in our community. St. Joseph Center helps poor and unhoused individuals and families get the resources to get back on their feet, and thrive independently in a secure home," said Rep. Lieu. "I was pleased to request and advocate for St. Joseph Center and their Purpose Lab Employment Project when Congress debated this year's community project funding legislation. The money I secured will help St. Joseph's incredible mission of providing job training and career development programs for those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. I am inspired by all that St. Joseph Center does for our community and pleased these funds will help advance their mission."

"There is nothing more empowering than learning a set of skills that opens up an entirely new career path. The Congressional Community Project Funding secured by Rep. Lieu for St. Joseph Center's job training programs will transform lives. We deeply appreciate this federal partnership, which will help vulnerable populations get to a place of self-sufficiency," said Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, President & CEO of St. Joseph Center.

More on the Purpose Lab Employment Project:

Purpose Lab includes four innovative training programs: (1) Codetalk, a job training program for low income, homeless, and previously homeless women; (2) Fortifi LA, a web technology training program for extremely vulnerable populations, such as those recently released from prison and people with long histories of homelessness; (3) Bread & Roses Training Kitchen, a program that prepares low-income adults with histories of homelessness or incarceration to enter the food service industry as chefs, sous chefs, caterers, and managers of industrial kitchens; (4) KeySkills, an intensive, three-week career coaching course that provides support for vulnerable adults seeking employment.

More on Congressman Lieu's work securing Community Project Funding:

Each year, Congress is responsible for allocating overall funding for offices, programs, and grants administered by the federal government. As a Member of Congress, Representative Lieu has the opportunity to advocate for programs that are beneficial to California's 36th Congressional District and the constituents he represents.

In Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, Congressman Lieu secured a total of over $33 million in federal funding for various community projects in LA County. The projects address an array of pressing needs in California's 36th District – from reducing homelessness to protecting our endangered wildlife, supporting our young populations, and more.

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