City of Allentown Recompete Plan
*2023-2024 Recompete Implementation Funding Awardee and Strategy Development Grant Recipient
Application Title: City of Allentown Recompete Plan
Lead Applicant: City of Allentown
State(s) Served: Pennsylvania
Applicant-Defined Region: Six Census tracts in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Contact: Trevor Tormann (trevor.tormann@allentownpa.gov)
The City of Allentown Recompete Plan, led by the City of Allentown, will receive approximately $20 million to connect residents from the city’s most distressed and diverse neighborhoods to good-paying jobs in high-opportunity industries. The city will address barriers to employment faced disproportionately by residents in the service area, including skills/education gaps, transportation challenges, and a shortage of affordable, high-quality childcare. A growing majority-minority city in the Lehigh Valley, Allentown collaborated with over 30 local and regional partners, such as the Allentown Economic Development Corporation, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, the IBEW Local 375 and others, to develop their Recompete plan. The city plans to use a network of navigators to connect residents to expanded training programs, improved transit, and high-quality affordable childcare to smooth pathways to employment in the healthcare and resurgent manufacturing sectors.