Amelia's Closet is expanding its mission after five years of serving Middle Tennessee, founding Executive Director Jody Powers officially announced Friday, July 10.

Since 2015, Amelia's Closet has helped remove employment barriers for economically and socially disadvantaged individuals and at-risk and marginalized populations, with the goal of ending poverty cycles and other results of hopelessness.

For five years, Amelia's Closet has helped prepare the unemployed, those released from jail, rehab and shelters, and the otherwise disadvantaged for sustainable employment by providing professional attire, tips for successful interviews, and makeovers. Once an individual is hired, she is provided a week's professional wardrobe.

Amelia's Closet has also served as a job-training site for adult volunteers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), providing the opportunity for these individuals to be productive and feel valued as they learn job and life skills.

“Our newest program and additional facility,” Powers said, “will provide paid internships for adults with IDD or other employment obstacles as they build their skills so they may acquire long-term sustainable employment in the community.”

“Having a job is a gift of purpose,” Powers said. “Our goal is to create an innovative workforce pipeline and inspire disability inclusion in the marketplace.” Long-time collaborators Special Kids, Journeys in Community Living, and Possibility Place will continue to be integral partners in our program, Powers said.

Amelia's Closet is located at Jackson Heights Plaza on Northwest Broad Street. This new program will be housed in the former Reox Automotive garage space, also at Jackson Heights.