Success Story

 

Roy's job at HearthBread BakeHouse in Spokane, WA, is the second chance the 48-year-old is determined not to lose.

After getting out of prison, Roy entered the Community Gateways program at Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, which led him to his job at the bakery.

The program focuses on providing job coaching and placement services for current and former prisoners. But the Goodwill staff also work to build their clients' self-esteem, give them tools they need to succeed professionally, and offer a supportive ear, says Workforce Development and Social Services Manager Jack Lilienthal. “Being able to separate people from the act is key to developing that trust.”

The Goodwill staff talks to people getting out about putting their lives on track and how they can make it. They help in lots of ways,” Roy says. “Even though I started at this company at minimum wage, it's an opportunity for a future.”

The Goodwill is one of 97 in the U.S. that together served more than 30,000 current and former prisoners last year. The U.S. Justice Department estimates 650,000 people leave federal and state prisons annually.

Many people leaving the correctional system have no support or shelter, much less any job prospects. Lilienthal said his program works with 100 area employers to place people while they're still serving their sentences or have just completed them. The Goodwill also bonds all of the ex-offenders and promotes the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal tax break given to businesses that hire certain low-income individuals.

Frank Pigott, President of HearthBread BakeHouse, says the promise of reliable workers and the tax incentive helped sell him three years ago on hiring ex-offenders. He has since hired 30 ex-offenders at the family-owned bakery - six are currently employed in positions ranging from mixers to equipment operators. Ex-offenders also run the company's production and packaging departments.

“We understand that there are some people who will never change,” Pigott says. “But when you find the percentage that want to move forward, you have to feed them.”

In September 2002, Aramark, a Philadelphia-based provider of food and facilities management services, began hiring participants in Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake's Supporting Ex-Offenders in Employment Training and Transitional Services Program (SEETTS). Like the Community Gateways program, the SEETTS initiative offers resume-writing, interviewing skills and behavior modification classes to state prisoners before they're released. The Baltimore Goodwill places the ex-offenders in Aramark's housekeeping, dietary, convention center and food preparation jobs, which often lead to permanent positions.

To date, the Goodwill has placed approximately 225 employees with Aramark - about half come from the agency's ex-offender program.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit combines work, job readiness and education classes in its 12-week New Start Employment Program, funded by Ford Motor Company and the Michigan Works affiliate. The initiative - which is run jointly with a residential treatment center - places ex-offenders in job preparation courses during their first two weeks in the program. Once they've completed the classes, they are assessed and assigned to computer-based education courses.

The heart of the Detroit program lies in the participants' afternoon work activities, says Nancy Walczak, Manager of Employment Development Services. As soon as they enter the program, participants package and assemble car parts for Chrysler, Ford and General Motors in the Goodwill's Industrial Operations Center.

“It's important because connecting to a paycheck is key to their success,” says Walczak, adding that 73 individuals have completed the program. In the future, the Goodwill would like to serve more female ex-offenders, and get employers to sponsor additional work activities.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana (New Orleans) is hoping for good things from a new prisoner re-entry program sponsored by the State of Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Corrections is forming a coalition of area church leaders, the Goodwill, and state employees, to build a one-stop, prisoner re-entry program based at the Goodwill.

The job placement services will be provided by Goodwill, a state official will address government-related issues onsite, and area church representatives will serve as mentors to the ex-offenders.

Cory Turner, Louisiana Community Resources Coordinator for Probation and Parole, says he'd like the collaborative to succeed the program now funded by the city's Serious or Violent Offender Re-Entry Initiative grant. Sponsored by the U.S. Justice Department, the initiative provides funding to develop and implement re-entry strategies that reduce serious crime and ensure the community's safety.

Source: Working! Spring 2004