INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ An Indianapolis agency has won a $500,000 federal grant for a demonstration project to help inmates find jobs once they're released.

The U.S. Labor Department announced Wednesday that EmployIndy is receiving the grant as startup capital to provide services to inmates before their release and then ongoing support in their communities once their incarceration ends. 

The Indianapolis project is among those in 20 communities in 14 states sharing $10 million in grants.

The Labor Department says many released prisoners have few job skills and face difficult barriers to stable employment. It says that unless they have steady jobs or strong support systems, many formerly incarcerated people are likely to commit new crimes and return to jail.