 Ex felon work resources for COLO
By Doug McPherson
Is it risky business hiring ex-cons? Hundreds of area employers don’t think so.
It is difficult to tally the number of businesses with ex-offenders on their payroll. However, nearly 350 area companies reported they would hire them, according to a 2005 survey from the metro Denver Office of Economic Development.
There is evidence companies are employing them: In the 18 months ending in June, 1,148 ex-offenders landed jobs in the Denver-metro area at an average wage of $10.38 an hour, according to Brian Gomez. He oversees community re-entry programs for the state Department of Corrections.
About 36 percent of the new hires won jobs with benefits. And 68 percent were still employed six months into the job. Data show that 75 percent of employed ex-offenders stay out of prison.
New start at Hyatt, Coors
Ex-lawbreakers are succeeding at Safeway, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Hyatt Regency downtown, American Barricade and other area companies.
Ask Mike Stabell, a manager at High School Posters. He seeks out ex-offenders to sell ads by phone for his posters that list sports schedules.
“One reason is we can actually count on them to show up and they’re often drug- and alcohol-free,“ he said. “We’ve had a lot of teenagers who didn’t work out. They just didn’t care. So we’ve been pleased with our ex-offenders.”
Employers paid, too
Other reasons that companies are felon-friendly are purely financial. Employers can receive federally mandated tax reductions – up to $2,400 per worker – and a free insurance policy.
The tax benefit is part of the U.S. Work Opportunity Tax Credit program that encourages employers to hire disadvantaged job-seekers. Visit www.uses.doleta.gov/tax.asp for more information.
The insurance policy is from the Federal Bonding program. If an ex-offender commits theft, forgery, larceny or embezzlement, the employer’s losses are repaid. More information is at www.bonds4jobs.com.
For details on other incentives for hiring former offenders, call the Office of Economic Development, (720) 913-1999.
These workers also are appealing for one asset not every employee has. That is their desire – and legal requirement – to keep a job.
“If they don’t perform, they can go back to prison,” said Mike Davoren, a workforce development adviser with the City of Denver.
“So these are motivated people who are often on probation, which mandates they have a job, they keep it, they have drug tests,” he said.
Many of these workers had help from DenverWorks in their move from jail to job. This nonprofit training and placement organization helps prepare a variety of workers for primarily entry-level jobs, likely in janitorial, food service, manufacturing and warehouse settings.
It has linked at least 600 former offenders to jobs with about 200 area employers. Another 1,500 youth offenders have received job training.
It conducts job-preparation workshops and provides free clothing for employment interviews and new employees. Its computer lab is open for training and job-search use.
Explaining jail on resume
In its job-training course for ex-offenders, participants practice mock interviews so felons are prepared to answer inevitable interview questions about their conviction.
“Answering that question well is critical,” said Anna Aragon, a DenverWorks program director. “We talk about what to say, what not to say and then everyone gives feedback on the session; many have attributed this piece to their success.”
One client, who spent 30 months in jail for drug possession, landed a job in a warehouse. Within months, he was promoted to management. “He loves his job and the employer is extremely satisfied with his choice,” she said.
Reach DenverWorks at (303) 433-0300 and online at www.denverworks.org.
Turnabout Inc. at Trinity United Methodist Church in Denver provides ex-offenders with four weeks of job-training that includes goal-setting, financial guidance, practical math, blueprint reading, resume preparation, interviewing skills and career counseling. It then places participants in construction jobs.
Call (303) 813-0005 for information.
Twenty Colorado Workforce Centers throughout the state offer ex-offenders and all citizens prep skills and referrals to job openings. Visit www.coworkforce.com/emp/wfcs.asp for more information.
First, back to school
Unfortunately, the majority of these workers have to overcome illiteracy, as well as a criminal record, to gain employment.
About 80 percent of the inmate population is functionally illiterate in at least one basic skill and 35 percent lack a high school diploma, Gomez said.
To tackle that problem, the DOC offers to help inmates earn a GED (general equivalency diploma) and adult basic education certificates. On an average day, 1,250 inmates are enrolled in some type of academic program.
Prisoners can gain work experience, too. Employed and paid small wages by the corrections system, they work as landscapers, janitors, barbers, cooks, welders and auto mechanics, among many occupations.
Their labor saves taxpayers $6.5 million annually, Gomez said. Total inmate wages of $39,000 a year help pay for victim restitution and assistance.
Employing these atypical workers is good for the community. Felons who work pay taxes and shop at area firms.
“When companies hire ex-offenders, they’re not only helping that individual, they’re often helping an entire family pay bills and secure its place in society,“ Davoren said. “And that’s an important and good thing to do.”
Doug McPherson is a freelance writer in Centennial.
__________________ Silverparrot http://www.myspace.com/Silverparrot
Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch.
Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you.
Sometimes it's just enough to know they're standing by. ~~"My tears do not compromise my strength"...~~ |
Linear Mode
