NWP's goals are to provide ex-inmates with an opportunity to earn legitimate income on a flexible work schedule for several months after release and to assist city and community groups in carrying out neighborhood improvement projects. Participants learn about the project through prison personnel, parole officers, and other sources. No skills are required, and only a willingness to work hard at strenuous physical labor is called for. Launched in November 1978, NWP is financed through the city's Community Development Block Grant Program, and with a second year's budget of $1.9 million, the project is expected to employ about 100 workers in 10 crews per day over the course of the year. By the end of the first 18 months of operation, NWP crews had completed 101 worksites throughout the city. Workers choose which days they work and are assigned to worksites on a daily basis. To schedule for work, a participant calls the NWP office 1 day in advance, and the assignment is given by telephone the morning of the work day. Workers are entitled to a total of 75 days of employment within 6 months of registration, and at an hourly rate of $3.85 per hour, they take home about $22 a day. Participants can receive help in finding permanent employment through the project's Employment and Training Services staff. In its first 18 months of operation, NWP served 1,650 ex-offenders. While it is too early to assess the program's long-term effects, a substantial demand for this kind of employment for ex-offenders is evident. Sections focus on various program elements. The rules of conduct, an organizational chart, and a participant evaluation form are appended.