North Carolina has received a $9.9 million federal grant to help people transitioning out of federal prison to gain job skills and employment after their release, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.
The new funding comes from the “First Step Act Initiative,” a first-of-its-kind collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Labor. This landmark initiative is part of the Department of Justice’s implementation of the 2018 First Step Act, and it will be the first time the Department of Labor will bring its job training and reentry expertise to federal prisoners.
“Whenever people who’ve completed their sentences are prepared to get a job when they get out, we help improve public safety and our economy at the same time,” Governor Cooper said. “This innovative, new investment from the Biden administration will bolster North Carolina’s efforts to expand opportunity for more people to succeed in the workforce.”
The Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS) at the North Carolina Department of Commerce will lead the project, which will serve the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. To administer the grant, DWS will partner with the Commerce department’s Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) and three local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs), which, collectively, serve ten counties in proximity to Butner:
- Capital Area WDB (Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Wake counties),
- Durham WDB (Durham County), and
- Kerr-Tar WDB (Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren counties).
“North Carolina’s First in Talent Plan calls for improving employment opportunities for jobseekers with criminal records, so they can rebuild their lives while also expanding the talent pipeline that our businesses need,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Alongside our NCWorks partners and federal officials, we look forward to using these new resources to provide training, coaching and connections to employers that will allow participants to make the most of their second chance.”
The grant is intended to serve approximately 375 individuals, who will typically be enrolled in services for a period of up to 24 months: the last six months of their incarceration, 6-12 months in a Residential Reentry Center (commonly known as a “halfway house”), and six months after release. In addition, the grant will support upgrades and additions to the state’s NCWorks.gov and NCcareers.org information technology systems that will be useful for any justice-involved jobseeker, not only those being released from federal facilities.
DWS has placed a priority on supporting reentry for many years and is a partner in the State Reentry Council Collaborative. The N.C. Commerce Reentry Initiative, which works with and through NCWorks Career Centers across the state, helps justice-involved jobseekers overcome the barriers to employment created by a criminal record. At the same time, DWS helps administer two federal programs for employers on the state level, Federal Bonding and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), both of which serve as incentives for companies to hire people with significant barriers to employment.
For more information about both jobseeker and employer services, contact a local NCWorks Career Center through NCWorks.gov.
This project is funded by a First Step Act Initiative grant from the Employment & Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, totaling up to $9,971,314, with 0% financed from non-governmental sources.