This week, Allentown Works announced the launch of its Power Cohort – a resident-led network designed to connect people between the ages of 25 and 54 with resources that can help them secure and retain solid jobs.
The initiative is being supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and was developed with the help of more than 30 partners, including workforce agencies, community organizations, employers, transportation groups, and childcare providers. Through the Power Cohort, residents from several priority neighborhoods will be designated as community messengers. Their experiences will help shape how services are delivered to the community and make programs more accessible to those in need.
Meg Fosque, Managing Director for U.S. Programs and Policy at The Rockefeller Foundation, says barriers to employment are often interconnected. “It’s transportation that doesn’t run on the right schedule, childcare that doesn’t align with shift work, or job leads that never reach the neighborhoods that need them most,” she explains.
Allentown Works is a five-year, $20 million program funded through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The organization focuses on four areas: connecting residents with local employment, expanding access to affordable childcare, improving transportation options, and creating pathways to high-opportunity industries like healthcare and manufacturing.
The program is targeting Franklin Park, Center City, and Allentown’s First and Sixth Wards – areas where residents face higher unemployment and limited access to economic opportunities.
By 2030, Allentown Works aims to connect more than 650 residents with jobs in high-opportunity industries and reduce the prime-age employment gap in priority neighborhoods by nearly 60%.
