Code Louisville provides quality training and support to help residents of Louisville enter software development careers at no charge. Code Louisville offers a variety of courses covering the development of websites and applications, data analytics, and more. They will guide students in learning not only the skills a programmer needs, but also provide them with resume-writing assistance, interview workshops, a community of developers to network with, mentors to answer questions, and a network of employers interested in finding their next developer!

Code Louisville has cohorts in both Southern Indiana and Louisville, KY.

For more information, contact Emily Sullivan at emily@codelouisville.org or (502) 208-6880‬.

Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Inc. (KRM), a non-profit organization, is dedicated to providing resettlement services to refugees through faith- and agency-based co-sponsorship in order to promote self-sufficiency and successful integration into the community. KRM is committed to offering access to community resources and opportunities and to promoting awareness of diversity for the benefit of the whole community.

For more information, contact John Koehlinger at jkoehlinger@kyrm.org or (502) 479-9180.

USA Cares: Veteran & Family Support offers career readiness which provides individuals with tools and resources to better prepare them for the hiring process and refers qualified candidates to corporate organizations with open positions of employment specific to their skill sets. In addition, this organization offers many additional programs including a Military Assistance Response Program, a Financial Education & Empowerment Program, a Senior Leaders Corporate Fellowship Program, and more.

For more information, contact 800-773-0387 or info@usacares.org.

The Southwest Center for the developmentally disabled provides a wide variety of community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each service is geared towards helping each person to live, work, and enjoy life in their community. The Southwest Center was founded in response to the growing need for programs and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. Since that time, we have grown to provide a wide variety of community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each service is geared towards helping each person to live, work, and enjoy life in his or her community.

For more information, contact (502) 935-1848 or info@swcky.org.

The Center for Employment Opportunities provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to individuals who have recently returned home from incarceration. Their comprehensive employment and training services help individuals connect to a job and career. CEO exists to create greater opportunities for people who face multiple barriers to economic success. With more than half of their participants between 18 and 30 years old, CEO is committed to continuously building, implementing, and evaluating programming that addresses their needs and affirms their agency.

CEO’s program begins with a paid orientation to ensure individuals have what they need to begin work immediately. During the orientation, CEO staff assist each participant in assembling all documents necessary for employment, ensure eligibility for benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and provide appropriate training and PPE for our work crews. Following orientation, participants will continue to engage in workshops and one-on-one support covering crucial digital skills, financial literacy, and workplace and communication best practices. For more information, Contact Jacqueline McGhee-Rutledge at jmcghee@ceoworks.org or 502-694-7878.

The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is a program provided by the Kentucky Career Center to empower Kentuckians with disabilities to maximize independence and economic security through competitive, integrated employment. Services include supported employment, vocational and other training services, counseling and guidance, job placement and retention, employment follow-up, telecommunications, sensory, and other technological aids and devices.

For more information, contact Nanci.Howard@ky.gov, wfd.vocrehab@ky.gov, or 502-564-4440.

Mattingly Edge cultivates partnerships that enable people with disabilities to thrive at work, at home, and in relationships. This organization supports people to spend their time, not in day services or specialized programs, but instead working, volunteering, attending school, exercising, socializing, performing personal and household tasks, and investing in other responsible engagements. Mattingly Edge supports people to spend evenings and weekends in their homes and community, hosting friends, attending a book club or art class, or yoga session, participating in a community of faith, going to the local nightspot for a beer, and other ways to enjoy oneself, meet people, and grow as a person. Mattingly Edge refers to these things as “the good things in life.”

To help people attain the good things in life, this organization provides customized one-on-one support with an individual’s specific goals and support needs in mind. A team of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) is recruited and matched with an individual based on personality, skills, interests, and logistics. The person being supported is always an active participant in the interviewing, hiring, and direction of their support team.

For more information, contact Hope Leet Dittmeier, Executive Director, at hdittmeier@mattinglyedge.org or (502) 451-6200.

Mission Behind Bars and Beyond (MB3) directly addresses the causes of recidivism and seeks to reduce the rate of recidivism among returning citizens released from Kentucky correctional facilities. The program adopts a multi-layer, holistic approach that begins with the individual while incarcerated, assists with pre-release preparation, and provides support and assistance once the individual returns to the community. Mission Behind Bars and Beyond is making a safer Kentucky, one returning citizen at a time.

For more information, contact (502) 214-5338.

Lincoln Foundation has empowered youth to overcome adversity through education since its founding by Berea College in 1910. Their mission is to provide educational enrichment programs that develop and support youth in overcoming social and economic barriers to achievement. Lincoln Foundation provides a signature college readiness program: Whitney M. YOUNG Scholars®, which annually admits high-potential youth from under-resourced communities throughout the greater Louisville region. Students commit to participating in experiential Saturday morning and summer programs that prepare them academically, socially, and emotionally for high school graduation and the rigors of college.

For more information, contact contact info@lincolnfdn.org or 502.585.4733.

The Plan Room at OneWest was formed in 2014 by a diverse group of professionals in Leadership Louisville’s Bingham Fellows program. They believed that the clearest path to economic renaissance in west Louisville is an influx of private, philanthropic, and public capital. It is abundantly clear that Louisville’s continued growth and vitality rests primarily on intentional and focused inclusion of west Louisville. Their vision includes strategies to provide the residents of west Louisville with increased opportunities for employment and business ownership; to re-create the 18th and West Broadway corridor as a destination of choice where Louisvillians will spend their dollars; and, an increased economic prosperity will stabilize the housing market, enhance access to services, improve health and safety, and instill a renewed sense of pride.

For more information, please contact Donovan C. Taylor, Director, at 502.384-0490 or dtaylor@onewest.org or theplanroom@onewest.org.

Edge Employment welcomes opportunities to partner with businesses, organizations, professional networks, individual professionals, and schools of all levels! The organization aims to expand meaningful employment opportunities within Greater Louisville businesses that match the contributions of disabled job candidates, assist disabled teens and adults to explore post-secondary and employment opportunities, and, disrupt misconceptions around the value of disabled people and integration in the workforce.

For more information, contact Merry Reid Sheffer, Lead Employment Specialist, at msheffer@edgeemployment.org or 865-548-7979.

New Hope Services Inc. offers an array of services for both job seekers and employers/business owners! These include Vocational Training & Employment Services; Skills Training; Family Support Services; and, workforce solutions through the New Hope Industries program. Learn more about these programs below:

For more information, contact Brad Wolfe at bwolfe@cvky.org (859) 231-0054.

The Louisville Downtown Partnership works to maintain the value and importance of Downtown Louisville and the Business Improvement District, with emphasis on providing clean and safe services, economic development, and fact-driven resources for the region’s ratepayers, stakeholders, and potential investors. This organization remains steadfast in their belief in the community and, most importantly, in Downtown Louisville’s ultimate resilience and significance to the overall local and regional economy. Whether you’re a sole proprietor, a startup with one employee, or, an established business with many employees, the LDP supports businesses from grand openings to expansions, through promotion, technical assistance, referrals to small business resource providers, and, identifying sources of financial assistance.

Click here to download the New Business Welcome Package! 

For more information, contact info@louisvilledowntown.org or 502-584-6000.

Blue River Services is on a mission to assist people with disabilities in realizing maximum personal growth and development in home, work and community by providing a continuum of individualized services and supports in settings least restrictive for the needs of the individual. Blue River Employment Services provides placement to individuals with intellectual, developmental and acquired disabilities and other barriers to employment. Individuals can obtain and maintain employment through career exploration, job readiness and development, soft skills training, follow-along services and individual job coaching. Services are designed in accordance with the individual’s support needs and preferences. Blue River staff assist individuals in discovering and understanding their vocational interests, values, temperaments, work-related behaviors, aptitudes, skills, physical capabilities, learning style, and training needs. Individuals are paired with an Employment Consultant, who assists with employment-related concerns helping participants further their skills training.

For more information, contact Holly Adam at 812-542-3077 or hadam@rbralliance.org.

Metro United Way works every day to lift the community by mobilizing people and maximizing resources to advance opportunity and equity for all. MUW brings together businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, foundations, and individuals to engage in the kinds of collaboration that changes lives. Through data-driven insights, their team identifies the community’s greatest needs and addresses systemic challenges by fighting to improve the disparities that persist in early care and education, economic mobility, home ownership, racial equity, and public policy in Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham, and Shelby counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana.

For more information, contact Michelle Elsby at michelle.elsby@metrounitedway.org or (502) 583-2821.

Russell Promise is an initiative started by Cities United and the Louisville Metro Government and is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Community Foundation of Louisville. The vision of this initiative is to build Black wealth through investment without displacement including sharing decision-making and leadership with residents; connecting individuals and families to resources leading to homeownership and traditional and nontraditional business ownership; building pathways and opportunities to strengthen existing Black-owned businesses; creating innovative connections to career-track jobs; and, community ownership of neighborhood assets.

For more information, contact outreach@russellpromise.com.

Rauch, Inc. works to support people with disabilities and their families while encouraging a community that acknowledges the value and contribution of all people. Rauch, Inc. promotes professional growth by providing employees opportunities for promotion to supervisory roles and to apply for new roles across departments. This organization also supports employment by assisting with the job search, skill development, and job coaching as well as working with schools in the community to aid students in their journey after high school.

For more information, contact Holly Adam at (812) 945-4063 or hadam@rauchinc.org.

The Junior League of Louisville is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Above all else, their goal is to promote and perpetuate social change in Louisville, KY and the surrounding communities that will benefit most from it. By empowering women and providing valuable leadership training, JLL is giving local women the tools to get involved, put their talents to work, and positively impact the communities in and around Louisville.

For more information, contact 502-637-5415 or admin@juniorleaguelouisville.org.

Helping Hand of Hope works to offer compassionate relief to people in need by providing immediate assistance and appropriate referrals to meet basic human needs. This organization provides our community with an opportunity for sharing resources that foster personal self-worth and human dignity. Helping Hand of Hope provides the following services:

– Rent Assistance
– Utility Assistance
– Clothing Assistance
– Food Assistance
– Prescription Assistance
– Transportation Assistance for Hardin Co. residents with out-of-county medical appointments
– Job Readiness/Job Placement
– Beds for Children

For more information, contact hburke@hhhope.org or (270) 769-3092.

The Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency works to eliminate barriers to economic self-sufficiency for low-income families and senior citizens through community supports and partnerships. The MPCAA works on behalf of individuals and families to help them improve their daily living situations and to stabilize the family unit. Through their various programs and services, they promote self-sufficiency and independent living, helping their customers to achieve their own success by focusing on the positive aspects of their lives.

For more information, contact Kim Embrey-Hill at (502) 633-7162 or kim@mpcaa.org.

Cedar Lake works to to engage individuals in the community while promoting independence, self-sufficiency, and spiritual health. Cedar Lake Employment Specialists focus on aiding job seekers in obtaining a meaningful job. Specialists help job seekers to find a job within competitive employment that both earns a living wage and provides a satisfying career while building natural relationships and in the workplace. In addition, this organization offers vocational rehabilitation services to assist individuals with their goals to reach their employment outcomes. Counselors are assigned to each case to discuss guidance and assessments that focus on person-centered initiatives.

For more information, contact 502-495-4946 or info@cedarlake.org.

Adelante Hispanic Achievers is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization chartered with a mission to inspire and empower Hispanic youth to become self-sufficient, successful individuals who have the tools they need to achieve their dreams and participate as creative, educated world citizens. Their programming focuses on the holistic development of their students, including academics, career exploration, cultural awareness, plus personal and social development. Adelante provides long-term educational guidance, programming and resources to students from grades 6-12. All Adelante programs and services are provided free of charge.

For more information, contact edgardo@adelanteky.org or (502) 341-9415.

Every Commute Counts is a program that promotes and creates opportunities for ridesharing. Rideshare is easier and more flexible than you might think, and isn’t just ordering an Uber or Lyft. Any form of transportation besides a single-occupancy motor vehicle is considered rideshare. Most people know rideshare as two or more people riding to work or any other event together. But rideshare is bigger than that. It includes : group transportation such as carpooling and vanpooling; nonmotorized forms of transportation such as bicycles; or, working from home some or all days, also known as “Telework”.

For more information, contact (502) 267-5400 or info@everycommutecounts.org.

Home of the Innocents – Pathways HOME is a leader in transforming communities through programs that are trauma-responsive, innovative, and evidence-based. Their leadership is committed to developing and supporting a diverse, inclusive, values-led workforce. The Pathways HOME program provides services to young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 and their children. This program offers the kind of care and education that can make a huge difference in young people’s ability to care for themselves and their families. Their experienced and dedicated staff help Pathways HOME clients develop independent living skills, enroll in and complete education, access community resources, seek affordable housing, and access mental health services. Participants are expected to fulfill certain obligations in order to benefit from the program. These expectations include maintaining a job, completing education, and weekly contact with their case manager.

For more information, contact Paul Robinson at 502-596-1320 or probinson@homeoftheinnocents.org. 

If you’ve been looking for a place that supports and elevates women business owners to the next level, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Kentucky Chapter, is for you. NAWBO is the essential community for all women business owners with a diverse group of members supporting, encouraging, teaching, and sharing with each other. NAWBO is a network for women in business that supports, provides resources, aids opportunities and forms partnerships among the woman-owned business community in Kentucky and beyond. While NAWBO is a world-wide organization, NAWBO Kentucky serves Kentucky, the Southern Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio areas. Members represent a variety of different business industries, providing opportunities for business connections in whatever area you need them. Membership is open to sole proprietors, partners, and corporate owners with day-to-day management responsibility, along with those who support the mission and vision of NAWBO.

For more information, contact Assistant@nawbokentucky.org or and president@nawbokentucky.org for more information.

Options Unlimited, Inc. (OU) provides a variety of employment services at no cost to individuals with disabilities and supports individuals so that they may achieve their desired vocational goals of working in the community. Individuals begin the Supported Employment process at the assessment and planning stage. During this time OU will look at the individual’s interests and skills and match these to a potential employer through job development. On-the-job training and coaching is a support that is offered to assure success of the individuals in the OU Supported Employment Program. Ongoing follow up and support is provided to ensure the long-term success of the individual working in the community with services such as training programs, resume development, interviewing skills, job readiness, job development services and on-the-job support.

For more information, contact contact Willie Byrd at williebyrd@gmail.com or 502-955-7271.

CASI supports and empowers individuals, families, and communities striving to reach self-sufficiency and works to provide life-enhancing opportunities for every individual and family desiring to experience an extraordinary change in their lives. Community Action of Southern Indiana’s programs provide critical support in areas such as financial literacy, education, housing, literacy, energy assistance, and more. Southern Hoosiers, like many Americans, face an array of enormous challenges ranging from poverty to disability to lack of decent and affordable housing to lack of adequate employment. In order to reduce poverty in our community, Community Action of Southern Indiana works to better focus available local, state, federal, and private resources to assist low-income individuals and families to acquire useful skills and knowledge, to gain access to new opportunities, and to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

For more information, contact ​ccarruthers@casi1.org or 812-288-6451.

Decode Project’s mission is to eliminate inequities in education by fostering a diverse community of learners prepared to navigate the world. This organization prepares future educators and community leaders with training in evidence-based, multi-sensory Structured Literacy; anti-racist/anti-biased relationship building; resilience-building; and trauma-informed care. Decode Project also provides workshops, resources, individualized reports, and advocacy support for caregivers, community agencies, schools, and educators.

For more information, contact info@decodeproject.org or (502)509-1814.

Path Forward of Kentucky provides supported employment, community rehabilitation services (CRP), and pre-employment transition services. They also provide support and coordination for Medicaid Waivers; authorized Social Security Tickets to Work; contract opportunities, business consulting for ADA and inclusionary workplaces, and benefits consulting. This organization’s mission is to provide customized services, support and encouragement needed by individuals with disabilities to build and increase their independence.

For more information, contact 502-451-2565 or info@pathforwardky.com.

The Workwell Industries is a non-profit organization that is committed to creating jobs for people with disabilities and others who experience barriers to employment. This organization provides quality packaging, parts assembly as well as various other services to many large organizations in the US and worldwide. By choosing to outsource these services to Workwell, companies routinely reduce overhead & save on the cost of a project.

For more information, contact Sandy Boyd at boyd@workwellindustries.org or 502-772-7383.

Community Services Project (CSP) is a nonprofit organization that works with individuals to find and maintain jobs within the community. They strive to help a diverse group of people (including persons with disabilities, veterans, and Youth in Transition) find jobs of their choosing. Jobs are targeted to an individual’s abilities, health status, and goals. They provide programs and services to help our clients enhance their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. This creates a clear path to increased self-confidence and self-sufficiency!

For more information, contact office@cspky.org or (502) 368-4886.

The Coalition for Workforce Diversity helps supply local businesses with the help they need, while helping individuals with disabilities lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Partner businesses work collaboratively with Agency providers to support their candidates in getting and maintaining jobs. A monthly networking meeting is held the third Thursday of each month where business can present their openings to job coaches and agency providers. Both UPS and Best Buy have seen very positive results from working with the Coalition. Because their employees have been carefully matched to the positions they hold, these employees tend to excel in their roles. Furthermore, Coalition employees tend to have better attendance and more impressive safety records when compared to their workplace peers.

For more information, contact Kitty Zachery at KittyZachery@CoalitionFWD.com or (502) 955-7271.

The mission of RISE is to bring increased economic prosperity to the Greater Louisville region through education and mentoring of entrepreneurs. This organization helps immigrant entrepreneurs navigate the system and apply innovative approaches to their businesses by engaging appropriate community partners. The future plans for RISE include organizing educational and mentoring programs to help existing businesses primed for growth. The RISE Cohort is a 10-week, 30-hour course designed for existing business owners that are poised and ready for growth. This classroom-style educational course aims to provide entrepreneurs with the management skills, professional knowledge, and financial understanding necessary to grow existing businesses. In addition to our bi-annual Cohort, RISE also provides one-on-one professional consultation to prospective or existing business owners.

For more information, contact suhas@suhaskulkarni.com.

St. John Center extends care and community to homeless men, women, and children living on the streets in our city. This organization has a mission to help homeless men address the barriers to housing and self-sufficiency so they can leave homelessness for good. They offer permanent supportive housing, a day shelter and social services center, and street outreach. They are located in a former Catholic church as a haven for immigrants and have staff and volunteers that carry on a welcoming spirit to provide refuge to some of the community’s most vulnerable people.

For more information, contact Keesha Gardner at 502-568-6758 or kgardner@stjohncenter.org.

Job One at Seed to Oaks is a job readiness program that can be operated through a church in collaboration with local businesses. For churches, Job One provides a ministry that can connect your members and community into full-time employment. For businesses, Job One increases revenue reduces expenses, and provides qualified employees when you need them most.

For more information, contact Lisa Hinnen at lhinnen@seedtooaks.com or 502-830-9894.

The Healing Place strives to transform individuals affected by addiction or homelessness through accountability and connection. With nearly 1,000 beds available on three campuses, The Healing Place provides a number of services to best fit the client’s needs and give them the best chance at long-term recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. This includes detox services, a long-term inpatient recovery program, intensive outpatient services with sober housing, transitional housing, an overnight shelter for those experiencing homelessness, and specialized services for homeless and addicted veterans. Most services are provided at no cost to the client.

For more information, call 502-585-4848.

Whether you are embarking upon your first job, experiencing a career transition, or searching for a twilight career before retirement, Jewish Family & Career Services will empower you to make informed decisions regarding your individual career path. This organization will help you explore vocational options and prepare you to enter the job market with confidence with assessment and exploration, counseling and coaching, job search preparation, pre-employment transition services, re-credentialing and career laddering, resource coordination, vocational evaluation, and workshops.

For more information, contact JFCS at services@jfcslouisville.org or 502-452-6341 x120.

Americana World Community Center works to bridge the gap from surviving to thriving for Louisville’s refugee, immigrant, and underserved populations. This organization provides holistic, comprehensive programs to immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals that enable people to overcome the challenges of integrating into a new community and of living below the poverty line. They offer workforce development programs such as mentoring, coaching and referrals, college/career readiness preparation, and more.

For more information, contact Emilie Dyer at 502-366-7813 or emilie@americanacc.org.

The Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) through federal funding from SITE, assists workers and businesses throughout the state of Kentucky meet the challenges and & seize opportunities in today’s economy. EKCEP administers programs that help adults looking for work, workers who have been dislocated from their jobs, and economically disadvantaged youth. In the GLI area, EKCEP covers the counties of Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble.. EKCEP works with workforce centers across the state, and provides access to more than a dozen state and federal programs that offer employment and training assistance for job seekers and employers.

For more information contact Millie Dee Stevens at 606-312-2028 or email mstevens@ekcep.org.

Catholic Charities of Louisville has programs that serve immigrants and refugees, new/expecting parents, people seeking job training, trafficking survivors, and, the aging and residents of long-term care facilities, regardless of their background or faith. This organization also focuses on West Louisville residents in need of emergency assistance programs by providing the most basic of human needs such as food, clothes, rent, and utilities assistance as they move from struggling to self-sufficiency so they can fully engage in our community.

For more information, contact TaKiyah Betts at tbetts@archlou.org or 502-637-9786.

The Louisville Youth Network is a one-stop shop for understanding what services and programs are available to Louisville’s youth (ages 10-24) that are not in school, working, or simply need support. Through this Network, youth will have the opportunity to receive wrap around services, support, and mentorship. Available services include: connections to educational opportunities, mental and physical health, job training, employment, housing and food, leadership, and transportation.

For more information, contact Bethany Olson at bethany.olson@louisvilleky.gov.