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Overview of the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Programs and Resources

Overview of the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Programs and Resources. Reintegration of Ex-Offenders.

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Overview of the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Programs and Resources

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  1. Overview of the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Programs and Resources

  2. Reintegration of Ex-Offenders • The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched the first adult ex-offender focused discretionary grants in 2006, called the Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI). In 2008, the PRI program was renamed as the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) program and was integrated into one appropriation line that serves a mix of youth and adult offenders through a variety of pilot and demonstration grant projects under WIA Section 171. • DOL grant funds provide a range of employment-focused services to returning prisoners such as job training (including on-the-job training), work experience, basic skills remediation, career counseling and case management, job placement, and other reentry services. • Grantees are required to have strong partnerships in place within their communities to provide necessary supportive services such as housing and substance abuse treatment that are not allowable costs of DOL grants. Grantees must also have strong g relationships with the justice system to ensure recruitment and complementary services.

  3. RExO-Adult Partnerships • DOL has a strong and ongoing relationship with DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, which manages the Second Chance Act grants. • DOL works closely with HUD regarding housing issues for offenders, as well as fatherhood initiatives. • DOL works with DOJ/BOP with collaborating with local work release centers to support its T2W grants. • HHS’ SAMHSA provided resource mapping related to Access to Recovery sites located near our grants. • Federal Interagency Reentry Council (FIRC) has provided even broader access to Federal partners doing similar or complementary work, adding to the dialogue and providing increased resources, such as MythBusters and tip sheets, to support ex-offender programs. Employment and Training Administration

  4. RExO-Adult Funding History • So far, there have been five generations of RExO – Adult grants: • Gen 1 was awarded in 2006 and was funded for 5 years • Gen 2 was funded in 2008 and was funded for 2 years • Gen 3 was funded in 2009 and was funded for 3 years • Gen 4 was funded in 2011 and is still currently operating with 10 grantees • Gen 5 was funded in 2012 and is still currently operating with 18 grantees • In 2012, the first round of grants to target characteristics common to female ex-offenders (CCFExO) was awarded with 7 of the 9 grants focusing on adult ex-offenders; the second round, announced in June 2013, awarded 8 grants, 7 of which focus on adult ex-offenders. • In 2013, DOL awarded 16 new Training to Work adult-focused reentry grantees which are targeting ex-offenders in work release.

  5. Snapshot of Performance • RExO-Adult grantees use a Web-based MIS created in-house that provides both case management and real-time data sharing • RExO-Adult grantees have consistently performed well, even during the recession • As of March 31, 2013, the RExO-Adult program outcomes were: • EER: 59% • ERR: 68% • Six-Months Average Earnings: $9,803 • Recidivism: 13%

  6. RExO-Youth Programs • The youth RExO portfolio consists of programs that provide educational skills training, occupational learning, restorative justice and employment opportunities for youth and young adults ages 14 to 24 that have been involved in the juvenile justice system. • The youthful offender programs provide competitive grants to local community-based organizations, state and local governments and 166 entities. • DOL recently announced the 28 new “Face Forward” youth offender grantees which will help to improve long-term labor market prospects for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

  7. Employer Engagement • What Are Employers Looking For? • Articulating and Quantifying the Services You Offer • Developing Your Pitch • Managing Employer Resistance • Resources

  8. What Do Employers Want? • Employers want qualified and reliable employees. • Employers want a way to save time and money. • And employers want to retain good staff and reduce turnover (which goes back to saving money). • Your job is to show the employer how you can help achieve all three goals.

  9. Articulating and Quantifying the Services You Offer • Before you meet or talk with an employer, you should think through what it is you can offer to meet his or her needs. • Employersrespond to results, numbers and services. • Acommon mistake job developers make is to make initial conversations mission-based versus service-based.

  10. Develop Your Pitch • Most employers expect a sales pitch when meeting with a job developer. • Employers generally place a premium on time, so prepare a 60-second “elevator pitch” that grabs the employer’s attention and respects his or her time. • Think through what you want to present after you have the employer’s attention, but remember to keep your entire presentation to less than ten minutes.

  11. Federal Incentives-Federal Bonding • In 1966 the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) established the FBP to provide Fidelity Bonds that guarantee honesty for “at-risk”, hard-to-place job seekers. • The State Bonding Coordinators typically are state employment service staff who distributes FBP materials and bonds to Career One-Stop Centers as part of their other duties. • To date, over 47,000 bonds has been issued through this DOL program.   • There is no cost to the job applicant or the employer; • The bonds cover the first six months of employment and is good for one individual with one specific employer and covers theft, forgery, and embezzlement; • It costs roughly $98 to bond an individual for six months for $5,000 in damages to employers; but individuals can be bonded for up to $25,000; • Once an employee’s bond expires after 6 months, the employer may purchase a bond for the employee from Travelers at a competitive, commercial rate; • The occupations for which the FBP are most used include the construction trades, janitorial work, pest control, hospitality work, landscaping, retail sales, cruise ships, fast food work, and restaurant work.

  12. Federal Bonding Contact Information • The FBP is administered through an ETA contract with the McLaughlin Insurance Company, with the fidelity bonds underwritten by the Travelers Insurance Company. • The FBP U.S. DOL/ETA National Toll-Free Help Line (1-877-US2-JOBS • THE McLAUGHLIN COMPANY • 9210 Corporate Blvd., • Suite 250 • Rockville, MD 20850PHONE: 800.233.2258 or 202.293.5566 • www.bonds4jobs.com/state-coordinators

  13. Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) • AFederal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups with significant barriers to employment, including ex-offenders. • The maximum tax credit ranges from $1,200 to $9,600, depending on the target group hired and the wages and number of hours worked. Employers claim about $1 billion in tax credits each year under the WOTC program. • There is no limit on the number of individuals an employer can hire to qualify to claim the tax credit. • To be eligible for WOTC for the ex-offender target group, the individual must have been convicted of a felony and have a hiring date that is not more than 1 year after the conviction or release from prison. • Employers must follow a few simple steps and submit a WOTC application to receive the tax credit. • More information available at www.doleta.gov/wotc

  14. Managing Employer Resistance • In the face of resistance, our tendency is to either get defensive or problem solve too quickly. Unfortunately, neither is very effective and will likely end the conversation prematurely. • The key here is to find out what the negative experiences or the perceptions of what working with you would be like and offer reassurances and facts to dispel what he or she is thinking. • Ask questions about their resistance. • Too often in the face of resistance, we throw out solutions, promises, or rebuttals hoping one will be the right one. • This can have the reverse effect in that you may inadvertently raise a new concern for the employer. So before you problem-solve, assess the resistance to know what strategy to take.

  15. Resources for Job Development • Strategies Used by Employment Service Providers in the Job Development Process: Are they consistent with what employers want? John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. • Job Development Essentials: A Guide for Job Developers (Second Edition, 2005), Public/Private Ventures (P/PV). This guide had practical tips and strategies for job developers on how to approach and engage employers. It can be found at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/files/m3956-job-developmentessentials.pdf

  16. Resources • DOL RExO webpage: www.doleta.gov/rexo - the Resources section will take the viewer to a page with many different resources, including links to Federal Bonding, WOTC, various mentoring resources, and research publications on ex-offenders, as well as information on the ongoing RExO-Adult Gen 1 random assignment evaluation. • Federal Interagency Reentry Council webpage: http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/reentry-council.  The More Information Section at the bottom of the page includes links to the Reentry MythBusters. • EEOC Policy on Disparate Impact: http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_conviction.cfm • The Workforce3One website for RExO: https://rexo.workforce3one.org which includes testimonial videos from ex-offender participants, case managers and employers about their experiences working with RExO programs and promising practices for serving ex-offenders. • The Ex-Offender section NFJP’s Workforce3One page can be found here: https://msfw.workforce3one.org/find/ex-offenders

  17. Electronic Tools/Labor Market Information • ETA’s electronic tools assist millions of Americans every month with their employment-related needs. These Web-based tools assist the unemployed, career counselors, economic developers, educators, parents, students, businesses, workforce professionals, and job seekers: • America’s Service Locator: www.servicelocator.org • Career One Stop: http://www.careeronestop.org/ • My Next Move: www.MyNextMove.org • What’s My Next Move Guide: http://www.careeronestop.org/whats-my-next-move.aspx/ • mySkillsmyFuture: www.mySkillsmyFuture.org Employment and Training Administration

  18. Contact Information U.S. Department of Labor/ETA/OWI 200 Constitution Avenue NW, N4508 Washington, DC 20210 T: 1-202-693-3030 Employment and Training Administration

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