For years, Justin Williams has been bouncing around from job to job, never holding down anything stable, feeling frustrated and "really down and out," until Save Our Sons threw him a lifeline.

Launched by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer, Save Our Sons is a program that aims to give young black men the skills they need to find a job and build a career in a competitive job market in which the going has long been tough for them.

"I really need to take a chance," said the 36-year-old native of the St. Louis suburb of Northwoods, who is midway through his monthlong Save Our Sons training.