About Us

A private state-wide grant funded by Goodwill Industries International (GII) to assist young adults ages 18-24. It is a pathway/model that implements and monitors career and educational services for its efficacy. Three categories measure success: Assess & Plan, Equip & Connect, and Launch & Evaluate. In phase one, students work with their Career Coach to develop goals and discover their level of digital literacy. Simultaneously, the students also explore their skills, interests, and abilities in terms of career and education. The second phase connects students to training and resources in order to address identified barriers. The last phase puts students on a an educational and/or career pathway.

A Louisville and six surrounding counties grant, federally funded by U.S. Department of Labor, is the third largest funding stream for The Spot. The program and grant aims to work specifically with 18-24 year olds who have been disconnected from employment and/or education due a variety of life's barriers. This reconnection happens by providing career coaching and supportive services to empowering young adults to obtain certifications and credentials, turn employment into career, and pursue academic excellence in the forms of GED/diploma attainment and college degrees. Additionally, WIOA furthers its workforce development initiative through its Internship Academy that offers professional development training and places clients in paid internships with community partners across the city. WIOA focuses on labor market trends which parallel individual career pathways of the participants. Using data from career assessments and participant input, an Individual Employment Plan dictates the short and long term goal of defeating life’s barriers and working toward a thriving career pathway. Critical emphasis is placed on tutoring services, workforce preparation, financial and digital literacy, entrepreneurship skills training, and leadership development opportunities.

A Louisville and Lexington based grant, produced by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and Goodwill Industries International, federally funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to assist young adults ages 18-24 who have verified, recent involvement with the justice system. The program is designed to help with job skills development and career training through various industry-recognized credentials that meet the talent demands of potential employers. This is accomplished by building skills through educational opportunities at our local community college, namely Jefferson County Community College, as well as, by participating in a work-and-learn environment that provides income while simultaneously receiving on-the-job training.

A Louisville grant federally funded through HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and managed through the COC (Coalition for the Homeless), the grant strongly emphasizes Housing First in the mitigation of this most critical life barrier. While assessments, conversations, and commitments are geared toward placement in permanent housing, Career Coaches work on financial stability and self-sufficiency through workforce and educational development. Other basic living skills and needs are also further addressed through co-enrollment in other grants/programing, as well as community partner relationships.

A Louisville based federal grant, funded through U.S. Department of Labor, and managed through it’s intermediary FHI360, the grant targets 18-24 aged young adults that may be at severe risk of community and interpersonal violence. This program directly targets the empowerment of participants in building self-sufficiency through enhanced training, certifications, mentorship, credentials, paid industry-specific internships, apprenticeships, and employment placement. It includes a holistic model of vocational pathways that apply a leadership curriculum, mentorship with business professionals, and a violence prevention curriculum. Specific partnerships are established with this grant: a

• Justice System Partner: Louisville Metro Corrections

• A Violence Prevention Partner: Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods

• Training Partners: Louisville Urban League, Joyfields Institute, BuildEd, Jefferson County Technical and Community College)

• Employer Partner: GlowTouch

A Louisville based grant, state funded through the Department of Juvenile Justice to serve youth and young adults ages 15-21, at-risk for entering the justice system or becoming involved in the gang lifestyle. The program provides a holistic approach to services conducive to this specific age group. The aim of the program is to consistently inform and enforce positive pathways, while avoiding negative influences. One of the key components of the program is the THRIVE process, a comprehensive approach to personal and professional development. Through the THRIVE process, youth and young adults have access to a range of resources and tools that can help them build their skills, explore career opportunities, while practicing making positive choices in their everyday life. The program also funds access to behavioral and mental health services that can assist in navigating life. By providing a range of resources and support, the Department of Juvenile Justice grant aims to resolve barriers and negative outcomes and to pave the way to a student’s full potential.

A Louisville based grant, city funded by the Office of Youth Development, Metro Government, to assist youth and young adults ages 16-24 with tackling barriers to transportation, financial literacy, recovery, and co-dependent relationships. The program is designed to offer the following services: monthly bus passes, bike packages, resources to obtain learners permit or driver’s license, vehicle maintenance, and access to the Goodwill Cards to Work Program. Additionally, OYD offers Peer Support services with certified Peer Support Specialists which consists of 1:1 support coaching sessions and sober group activities, evidence-based Love Notes group-programing for assessing and managing co-dependent relationships, and Financial Literacy classes through Apprisen’s financial literacy 1:1 coaching with the Accelerate program.

A set of two grants, federally funded through the American Rescue Plan, but managed through the city government’s Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, offers holistic life, educational, and vocational services to youth and young adults ages 16-24, while also funding on-site clinical mental health professionals and evidence-based behavioral health services.

• The OSHN Program aims at serving students who are at-risk, defined as: negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a history of substance use, lack of social supports, academic problems, presence of mental health concerns, poverty, exposure to violence, lack of economic opportunity, anti-social peers, and other at-risk behaviors. The vision of OSHN is to create a city of healthy neighborhoods where everyone is secure, supported, free of violence, and prepared for lifelong success. Participants in the OSHN program complete a series of job readiness workshops that prepare them for their chosen career and/or education pathways. Participants receive individualized case management (Career Coaching) to assist in knocking down barriers to employment through supportive services and collaborative goal planning. OSHN funds specific industry-training in order to skill, upskill, or promote youth and young adults who have interest in the field. The program is known for its strong partnership with training providers, apprenticeship providers, and employers who vocalize the need for friendlier hiring processes.

• The OSHN mental and behavioral health program aims to serve more than 200 young adults through the assessment of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), monitored and administered by a clinical staff member. The program offers additional assessments, clinical crisis management, case consultation, and 1:1 clinical/individual therapy. Moreover, the program also provides access to three evidence-based, psycho-educational groups that address thinking patterns, relationships, substance use, trauma, safety, self-concept through self-talk and self-awareness, coping with anger, etc.

A Louisville based grant, locally funded by the Mayor’s Metro Government Initiative, and in collaboration with the broad Justice System for Juvenile and young adult participants. The program provides a second chance to youth and young adults (ages 16-24) involved with the criminal justice system (justice-involved, in-facility, in-school at risk, at risk, recently released, and/or facing misdemeanor charges) by breaking systematic cycles of involvement and violence. We aim for diversion, felony/recidivism prevention, and violence reduction among our participants through a strong focus on education, training, expungement, employment support, barrier removal, behavioral and mental health, and supportive services.

Support for individuals who are pending release from a correctional facility, are formerly incarcerated, or are otherwise justice-impacted. This privately funded grant aims to prepare eligible participants for work through a series of steps. In partnership with Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures, Fortune Society, The Last Mile, and The Ladies of Hope Ministries, The Spot provides five key learning pathways toward learning digital skills in the evolving market:

1. Getting Started with the Basics

2. Job Search

3. Job Readiness

4. Online Safety

5. “Next Step” Job Readiness Skills

While the program is predominantly online with available lab hours on site, other workshops are also available for anyone interested to broaden their scope of knowledge through Applied Digital Skills: Google’s digital literacy program and Partner Community.

This Louisville based grant, privately funded through General Motors and managed through Goodwill Industries International (GII) brings skilled trades from industry improved credentialing proms which parallel with the individual career paths of assessed participants. Using data from career assessments and participant input, a sustainable career path maps out the way to provide access to those most heavily impacted by unemployment or underemployment. Critical emphasis is placed on technology use and access, scheduled and accessible job fairs, employer site tours, and other collaborative efforts supporting The Spot’s core workforce components.

Privately funded through ARGI Financial, a local Financial Management provider, this funding supports participants in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program who need access to basic life’s needs like clothing, food, furniture, basic household items, etc.