Workers get free tools, uniforms, and more through state program and Michigan Works! Southeast

In early 2024, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity provided nearly $350,000 in Barrier Removal and Employment Success (BRES) funding to Ann Arbor-based Michigan Works! Southeast. The state funding is designed to "remove barriers to employment for more Michiganders." So far in Michigan Works! Southeast's five-county service area, the funding has gone toward assisting people with purchasing work items, tools, and transportation, along with providing emergency resources to job seekers. Additional uses for the funding are under development.

According to Shamar Herron, executive director for Michigan Works! Southeast, the funding has been critical to address community members’ needs. The organization serves a broad swath of the public and all demographics in Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston and Washtenaw counties.

"Since this is state funding and not federal, we don’t have the restrictions that come along with those dollars — the so-called red tape that limits eligibility and requires reporting," Herron says. 

The state dollars help remove barriers to employment that some don’t even think about, such as having up-to-date identification or appropriate clothing or uniforms to start work.

"What we keep at the front of our minds is setting people up for success over the long term," Herron says.

Sometimes a small amount of assistance, such as the cash to get a driver's license, can make a big difference for someone’s ability to initially secure employment.
courtesy Michigan Works! SoutheastMichigan Works! Southeast Executive Director Shamar Heron.
"It feels good to be able to say, ‘You need help with transportation? We have a resource for that,’" Herron says. "... We also emphasize growth. We don’t want people to only stay where they are. We want to assist people to grow in their career."

If a worker needs something they didn’t expect to have to purchase for their job, Michigan Works! Southeast can help. This could be something like a stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, or any other work-related material items. For example, after the pandemic, a local worker wanted to change his career path and become an automotive technician. When he got a job, he found out he needed to provide his own tools, which he could not afford. Michigan Works! Southeast stepped in and provided him with a toolbox and tools.

Another barrier to work is the cost of utilities and housing. Michigan Works! Southeast has lent workers a hand in challenging circumstances by providing emergency assistance with these expenses.

BRES state funding has also gone to support Ypsilanti's Community Violence Intervention Team, which supports victims of gun violence, and Washtenaw County's annual expungement fair, which helps formerly incarcerated county residents clear their records to improve their employment chances. More employment partnerships are also being built.

"We want to assist young people and adults who are being transitioned out of one world and into another — maybe they’re in the midst of some of the violence that's happening — and we want to offer subsidized employment," Herron says. "Right now, we're working to figure out the key employers in the area who will take on an opportunity to help someone change their life, with Michigan Works! Southeast paying for it."

The organization is trying to set people up for professional opportunities with potential for future advancement, and BRES funding has been essential to continuing to build on that mission.

"I call [these funds] additional scaffolding," Herron says. "The more we're supported by dollars that don't restrict us or prohibit us, the better we can serve the community. I know people see Washtenaw County in particular as the land of milk and honey, but we have people who have needs in Dexter, in Manchester and in Chelsea. We're helping everyone across the board."

For Chelsea T.* in Hillsdale County, Michigan Works! Southeast staff were supportive and positive. 

"They were there for me for whatever I needed," she says. "My experience has been great."

* Last name changed to protect the interviewee's privacy.

Jenny Rose Ryan (she/they) is a writer, editor, and communications consultant who has more than 20 years of experience sharing complicated and compelling stories. She is based in Ypsilanti.

Photos by Doug Coombe.