Hoosiers enrolled in the Healthy Indiana Plan program will now have access to job training and preparedness resources.
About 300 thousand people enrolled in HIP 2.0 will soon receive letters inviting them to participate in Gateway to Work, a program run by the state’s Family and Social Services Administration. FSSA Family Resources director Adrienne Shields says the program is available not just to unemployed HIP 2.0 enrollees, but also to those seeking to move up the ladder.
"[It] can help them with building resumes, look for alternative jobs, and assist them with specialized training to receive advancement in their current field of interest,” she says.
Shields says there’s also financial assistance for transportation and clothing for job interviews. And she says Gateway to Work is entirely voluntary.
“They can choose to participate if they are interested but it does not affect their benefits if they choose not to participate,” Shields says.
Half of the money for the program will come from existing state cigarette taxes. The other half comes from the federal government.