Goodwill Industries International joined key stakeholders and partners on June 13 at the White House to promote connecting second-chance individuals, who are benefiting from early release under provisions of the bi-partisan First Step Act, with opportunities to learn and earn. As the nation’s leading workforce development provider, Goodwill provided comments on the need to welcome hundreds of thousands of individuals back into communities across the country with employment opportunities and support to ensure success.
For nearly 70 years, Goodwill North Central Texas has helped people facing challenges reach their full potential through learning and the power of work. Goodwill North Central Texas partners with public and private entities to ensure second-chance individuals’ success.
Since the First Step Act passed and was signed into law last December, about 1,000 individuals have returned home from federal prisons. Due to sentencing reforms within the act, another 2,200 individuals will reenter their communities next month.
Monthly, more than 50,000 individuals return to communities from state and federal prisons. Annually, more than 100,000 nationwide come to Goodwill for earn-and-learn opportunities, wrap-around services, housing, mentoring, job placement and retention services, and connections to other services that help them support themselves and their families. Many local Goodwill organizations such as ours offer pre-release services, including career, education and transition readiness.
Goodwill North Central Texas offers reentry-specific services to help second-chance individuals with occupational skills training, industry-recognized credentials, and placement into employment, apprenticeships or post-secondary education through the ReLaunch Program. We stand ready to collaborate with community businesses and partners to meet the needs of second-chance individuals and create long-term career pathways for them. In 2018 alone, Goodwill North Central Texas provided job training to 706 individuals returning from incarceration and placed 250 in employment.
Click to see how Brandon Reed & Jennifer Moore used Goodwill’s services to transform their lives.