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Goodwill’s Green Works (GGW), a nonprofit industrial recycling subsidiary of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, received $6.5 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from Michigan Community Capital (MCC). This allocation will be utilized for working capital/operating expenses and the purchase of equipment to support the growth of GGW’s sustainable appliance recycling social enterprise that occupies a 94,000 square-foot facility.Specifically, Goodwill’s Green Works will expand its transformer deconstruction and appliance recycling program operations while supporting the retention and creation of quality and accessible jobs in positions such as reclamation associate. The NMTC funding will also be a valuable resource to help Goodwill’s Green Works pursue new lines of business, including appliance repair, EPS recycling, and textile recycling.Located in a high-poverty census tract where the unemployment rate is 30.7%, the expansion project is critical to providing residents with pathways to economic stability.Goodwill’s Green Works provides employment opportunities to “hard-to-employ” Detroit residents, particularly the formerly incarcerated and chronically unemployed. Their expansion is expected to retain or create approximately 129 permanent jobs, and 5 paid temporary training positions. All permanent jobs will be eligible to receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance, life insurance, and a retirement plan. In addition to benefits, Goodwill’s Green Works and its affiliate provide support services including soft skills instruction, certificate-yielding job training, childcare, and support for other household expenses. Employees recycle and repurpose industrial and household waste materials including cable wiring, transformers, and refrigerators, diverting over 19 million pounds from the landfill in 2022.The efforts of the expansion support the Mayor’s Workforce Development Board’s goal of helping 40,000 more Detroiters secure employment, directly addressing the board’s key initiative of connecting formerly incarcerated returning citizens with job opportunities and training.“We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to expand Goodwill’s Green Works’ recycling efforts,” said Caleb Rutledge, president and CEO, Goodwill’s Green Works. “With the support of Michigan Community Capital funding, we will be able to collect and recycle an environmentally harmful material that would otherwise go to landfills. Equally as important, this expansion provides new certificate-base employment opportunities for Detroiters who are desperately in need of work. We are honored to provide a nonprofit service that serves both our community and our planet.”