GREENFIELD — Working Fields, a Vermont-based staffing agency with a location on Deerfield Street, has announced plans to bolster its regional expansion after receiving $2 million in equity funding from investors.

The mission-driven staffing agency specializes in breaking down barriers to employment by offering trained peer coaches who provide support and guidance to employees as they begin new jobs.

“We started in Vermont about seven years ago and recognized pretty quickly that the model our founder and CEO Mickey Wise had created had legs,” said Working Fields Chief Operating Officer Chelsea Bardot Lewis.

Working Fields connects with local and national companies seeking to provide long-term job opportunities for people who face barriers to employment, such as housing difficulties, previous incarceration and substance abuse recovery. Bardot Lewis said the agency helps keep people on track outside of work — whether it’s by directing them to housing resources or helping those in recovery from addiction — which can eliminate difficulties at their job and help keep them employed.

The agency moved into Franklin County in early 2023, when it acquired Harmon Personnel Services in Greenfield from Community Action Pioneer Valley. Since its move, Bardot Lewis said Working Fields has continued the regional work Harmon Personnel was doing, including working with partners like the Franklin County Community Development Corporation and Community Action.

“It has been a successful expansion for sure, and so successful that that we have a hired a business development manager,” Bardot Lewis said. “We’re thrilled to be in the region.”

In 2023, community agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire referred 189 job seekers to Working Fields for services, according to the agency.

While the $2 million will continue to supplement the agency’s operations, it is aiming to raise an additional $500,000 to contribute to its 2024-2025 growth plan. This latest $2 million comes from 26 national and New England-based investors, including the Vermont Community Foundation and University of Vermont Health Network.

Bardot Lewis noted the growth plan does not include any additional locations for Working Fields, as agency leaders want to continue developing their programs.

“We don’t see ourselves becoming nationwide anytime soon; we really want to develop the service model in the area we are in,” she explained. “This is a $15 billion industry and … the need exists everywhere.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.