Community and Family Services is offering a grant designed to help local employers retain existing jobs in the community.

It can provide a partial wage subsidy to the employer for income-eligible employees who may be in danger of layoff or who are already on layoff.

Community and Family Services obtained the grant through the state, and the wage subsidy to the employer is available through September 30.

Funding is through federal economic stimulus dollars intended to provide a boost for the economy, as well as to help income-eligible individuals.

Interested employers should contact Geoff Frank at Community & Family Services, Inc. at (260) 251-0913 (cell) for more information. He also can be reached by e-mail at: gfrank@comfam.org.

Program Details

* The business can be located and income-eligible employees can reside in any of the six counties of the Community & Family Services· (CFS) service area, including Wells, Adams, Huntington, Blackford, Jay,and Randolph counties.
* The program has a simple income eligibility test: If the employer shows that the employee’s hourly rate is $10.41 or under ($21,660 annualized), and the individual is either on layoff or at risk of being laid off, then the employer could receive a partial wage subsidy under the program to help preserve that job in the community. The employee would not have to be involved in that discussion or be aware of the subsidy.

* The wage subsidy is up to 50% of the worker’s eligible full-time wage with subsidy caps of $5.00 per hour, 40 hours per week and $200 per week per employee. The subsidy is paid to the employer after each payroll. Positions to be subsidized should be full-time. Jobs compensated through commissions or tips are not eligible for the subsidy.

* If an employer has an employee who earns more than the $10.41per hour income guideline, and the employer would like to inquire further about eligibility, CFS can work with the employer and employee for an expanded look at family size and income to see if that individual might qualify. Obviously, in that case, the employee would need to participate in the process.
* CFS has tried to make the program as easy as possible for employers to sign up and to receive subsidy reimbursements through the program.