Lycoming County

Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (CSO) – A Community Action Agency

CSO operates workforce development programs in the Central Region serving Employers, Adults, Dislocated Workers, TANF and WIOA In School Youth and is a partner in the PA CareerLink in Williamsport, Sunbury, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Bellefonte and Lewistown. While we don’t currently offer any specific re-entry programs (although we are seeking funding for this), our programs serve re-entrants every day. All of our programs are focused on helping individuals gain the soft and technical skills needed in the workforce and helping connect qualified job seekers to businesses.

In Lycoming County, we are working on providing workshops to inmates prior to release to help prepare them for their job search, as well as creating a coordinated referral process so that individuals are connected quickly to PA CareerLink services upon their release. I have also partnered with our state and federal prisons on providing workshops and information related to PA CareerLink services and job search to their inmates. We have created job search workshops that are geared towards job seekers with a criminal background that are offered at the PA CareerLink. I am also working with our local partners on educating employers about the benefits of hiring job seekers with criminal backgrounds and dispelling common myths about re-entrants. We just helped SCI Muncy coordinate a job fair inside the walls and will be hosting an employer seminar at FCI Allenwood in June.

Another new initiative of interest is our Mobile Workforce Center, which is essentially a PA CareerLink on wheels. This van is equipped with seven computer stations and will take workforce services to underserved regions and populations. We are coordinating closely with our re-entry partners on this including county jails, state prisons, federal prisons, county probation, state parole and federal probation on scheduling the van. We will begin taking the van out to provide services in June. Again, this project is not strictly a re-entry initiative but will provide much needed services to this population.

Lycoming Countywp_posts Reentry Coalition Five Year Strategic Plan

Lycoming & Clinton County Resources

Megan Bair
Megan Bair works for Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc.(CSO), a Community Action Agency.wp_posts Her involvement in re-entry has been around employment, skills training and employer engagement.

Meganwp_posts has been an active member of the Lycoming County Re-Entry Coalition since its inception andwp_posts currently serve as the Chair of the Employment Sub-Committee.

Clickwp_posts herewp_posts to email Megan.