Federal Dollars For RecycleForce Youth Program

An Indiana organization is awarded $4.5 million to reach more young people at risk of being involved in crime.  

RecycleForce will receive the grant from the US Department of Labor Young Adult Reentry Partnership.  The federal funds will allow the group to provide training and employment opportunities for justice involved youth in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Gary.

RecycleForce President Gregg Keesling said the program can help youth who have strikes against them.

"How do they go from they got caught with a gun but didn’t hurt anybody to putting that gun down and getting a job and getting back to school and back to themselves," Keesling said. 

Keesling says the funding will allow them to identify and reach young people for a longer period of time.

The social enterprise employer has been providing jobs, training and other services for people at its recycling facility in Indianapolis since 2004.

Keesling said finding ways to fill work opportunities has become a priority.

"Now these high risk individuals have really become our labor force, we’ve got to find ways to screen them in, and we need them for labor but it’s also good their families, it’s good for crime," Keesling said. "There’s just so many victories."

The move aims to reduce violent crime by providing career opportunities. The new program will reach 550 youth

RecycleForce transitions 300-400 people a year into employment.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @JillASheridan.