My new home is in Dunedin, Florida, which is a suburb of Tampa. It's a cute little artsy town with a personality unlike anywhere else I've been in this state. It's bike friendly and dog friendly, and it's kind of a foodie and microbrewery hotspot. I love it here, but most of all I'm proud of my new job. While I love the idea of Comprehensive Reentry very much, and I will not abandon it entirely (I have visions of creating a truly unique mobile app based on the website), my primary focus is the new agency I work for, Abe Brown Ministries.
I am taking the next natural step by working for an agency in Tampa that does everything I set out to do with Comprehensive Reentry. It would actually be a conflict of interest for me to continue anything but the blog right now. Abe Brown Ministries has been around since the 1970's and functioned pretty much as a prison ministry with a bit of local outreach, such a food bank. They still do that valuable work today, but they have taken on so much more in the last two years. They are now part of the Ready4Work Program under Operation New Hope in Jacksonville. The purpose of that program is to take a holistic approach to reentry and help the returning citizen become productive tax paying persons again. They take care of housing needs with transitional housing. They help with food and clothing if they are in need. They screen for drugs and certain kinds of offenses, like sex offenses and serious violence. They make certain any substance abuse, mental health or physical health problems are addressed by the proper professionals. They then place them in a 4-6 week long career development class that teaches them an array of life skills many may have never been exposed to including managing workforce conflict in a healthy way, work ethic, resume writing, and interviewing skills. Once they feel the client is sufficiently ready, they receive a job coach who will follow them throughout the remainder of the one year program while providing guidance, assisting with placement in a career, and acting as an intermediary to head off problems if need be. They also receive a life coach who acts as a mentor and is usually a member of the faith based business community in the area. Then there's me.
My job is to interact with C-level decision makers that can influence or change employment policy with local employers. I try to develop partnerships with businesses that will be willing to hire our graduates. I change hearts and minds in a state that is still steeped in an Old South mentality when it comes to criminal justice. I do this through knowledge, my personal experiences on both sides of the law, salesmanship, and testimonials from other satisfied employers. I even invite them to our campus to see what we do, which often gives comfort to the employer, and I provide information on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the Federal Fidelity Bonding Program. So far, I've met with a decent amount of success, but not enough to employ all of our people yet. If you are interested in reading more about what we do, check out our website at www.abebrown.org or our You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuvXFCuKMKk. Someday, I hope to supplement this organization with a mobile app that will assist in placement of our clients and spread the word of this comprehensive reentry organization.
I also wanted to share this article, because I often don't get positive support from my facebook friends when I talk about what I do. I think this is important work, because I've already heard my own story from one of my clients, and then I read this article. It explains what both of us faced when it came to the federal government. It talks about how many of us commit felonies everyday unwittingly, but no one in law enforcement is looking at the time. Once you realize this, and how your life will change if they happen to look, it suddenly sheds a new light on our self-righteousness when we look at those who have spent time in prison and are trying to make a new start. I recommend reading this article and book it is based on. God Bless and have an awesome week!
-Richard E. Alvarez
Recommended Reading:
https://mic.com/articles/86797/8-ways-we-regularly-commit-felonies-without-realizing-it#.1kk0Mbfvr
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