Safer Foundation

The Safer Foundation is a not for profit organization that enables individuals with criminal records to stay out of prison and turn their lives around. Safer believes that keeping a job is the best way to do this, and all of their programs are aimed at this goal. By working only with individuals with a criminal record, Safer understands the problems these individuals face in finding and keeping a job. Safer prepares ex-offenders for employment and the job search. By forging relationships with employers willing to hire individuals with a criminal record, Safer has a consistent wealth of available jobs for ex-offenders. In addition, Safer assists individuals between 16 and 21 years continue their education so they can find a better job. For more information, see www.saferfoundation.org.

Costs: Scholarship fund for Safer clients who wish to pursue higher education, either at a college or a vocational school. The goal is to raise $1,000,000 from foundations, individuals and corporations over the next three years as an endowment to be invested, with interest to be used to assist four to six clients a year based on a competitive selection basis.

Community Male Empowerment Project

Established in 2002, Community Male is a community based organization with the mission to breakdown barriers within the construction industry that impede the hiring of ex-offenders. They strive to develop partnerships with private and public construction firms in order to help individuals within the Chicago-land area overcome the obstacles to gainful employment in the construction trade industry. Community Male achieves this through collaboration with Malcolm X College and Dawson Technical Institute to provide 16 weeks of skills training in basic plumbing, brick laying, concrete masonry, in addition to 8 weeks of life skills, GED or Entrepreneurship training. Once completed, participants are eligible for job placement on site with Community Male supervisors and various sub-contractors. For more information, see www.cmeprojects.org.

Teamwork Englewood

Teamwork Englewood was formed as a vehicle for comprehensive community development in 2003 through the joint efforts of St. Bernard Hospital, Greater Englewood Parish United Methodist Church and Park Bank (previously Pullman Bank). Teamwork Englewood brings together diverse representatives of the community to participate in a collaborative and comprehensive approach to community development. Teamwork Englewood does not control the process or dictate to the community, but rather serves as a facilitator and coordinator of the talents, energies and resources residents and other stakeholders bring to the process – and finds outside resources and partnerships that make sense and that the community believes are a good fit. As a partner with PSN, Teamwork Englewood worked to match available resources with formerly incarcerated individuals returning to their neighborhood through outreach and community events. For more information, see www.teamworkenglewood.org.

Career Advancement Network

Career Advancement Network (CAN) is funded by the Department of Labor, regional Workforce Investment Boards, and the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (MOWD) to manage regional employment initiatives and train agencies in Career Passport, its therapeutic model of job training for the formerly incarcerated. Key elements include:

Work Related Therapy
Employer Driven Job Readiness Curriculum
Self-Governing Mentor Teams
Transitional Jobs With Select Employers
All Line Staff are Graduates

Customized versions of the model serve formerly incarcerated women, men with Unauthorized Use of Weapons charges, and re-entry participants with addiction issues. Over the past five years, the model has placed 68% of 320 participants with a 5% recidivism rate – the Illinois state rate is 52%. Client satisfaction rates are at 95%. CAN founders, Mark Kaufman and John Suffern, come from Marriott and Maximus, respectively, where they ran programs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cleveland, and elsewhere, over 20 cities total. For more information, see www.careeradvancementnetwork.org.

Match Funding – CAN currently has $50,000 in grant funds to match funding from companies interested in delivering a mentoring program for formerly incarcerated youth ages 18 to 29, a very high risk population. Match funding of $200,000 is available for job training and mentoring that exclusively serves formerly incarcerated women, most of whom are overcoming substance abuse. Funding for Green collar job training is being sought and is sponsored by six state legislators.

PC Rebuilders and Recyclers

PCRR is a local, for-profit organization that recycles and rebuilds used PC’s and then provides them to low income community groups/families/individuals. In accomplishing this noble goal, PCRR also employs ex-offenders as computer techs who rebuild the donated used computers. PCRR provides direct training and employment to ex-offenders as part of its program. For more information, see www.pcrr.com.

North Lawndale Employment Network

The North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) is a community-based, workforce-development organization located on Chicago’s westside. NLEN creates and implements programming initiatives that attack the specific barriers to employment that residents face and provides direct services that lead to employment acquisition and retention at living wages. By advancing the financial standing of their residents, NLEN is enabling North Lawndale to develop into an economically and socially stable, self-reliant community. Among NLEN’s flagship projects, the U-Turn Permitted program provides workforce coaching to men and women with histories of criminal conviction. Over four weeks, participants learn conflict resolution tactics as well as techniques to improve their resume building and interview skills. Direct job placement assistance & opportunities for self-directed job acquisition are also provided.

Sweet Beginnings, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the North Lawndale Employment Network, and serves as a vehicle for transitional employment for NLEN clients. The Sweet Beginnings social enterprise offers full-time transitional jobs in the production and sales of natural, handmade skin care products featuring urban honey. This honey-based product line is called beeline,® and includes lip balm, body polisher, body cream, lotion, and shower gel, along with its trademark honey. Transitional workers are engaged in every aspect of production, packaging, inventory management, sales, and distribution of beeline® products. For more information, see www.nlen.org.

Costs: Current Unit Cost per participant in the U-Turn Permitted Program is $3,200.

Simulated-wage stipend subsidy for one worker/trainee in Sweet Beginnings Social Enterprise is $2,880 for 60 working days - the standard term of participation.

Black United Fund of Illinois, Inc

The Black United Fund of Illinois provides the mechanisms by which grass roots organizations can become or remain self-sustaining. They do this by encouraging Black philanthropy; in other words, Black people contributing their money, time, and skills to help each other enhance the quality of life in Illinois communities.

The National Black United Fund, was founded in 1972 on the principles of self-help, mutual aid and volunteerism in order to create mechanisms by which Black people could pool their resources. It is the outgrowth of the Brotherhood Crusade which was organized in 1968 to help rebuild communities after the riots that plagued America during that time. BUFI is the 16th of 23 independent affiliates of National. For more information, see www.bufi.org.

Events: Annual “Living Legends/ Passing the Torch” Awards & Benefit, September 26th 2009

Exodus Renewal Society, Inc

Exodus Renewal Society was created to provide rehabilitative and reformative social services on Chicago's southside to counter the high recidivism rates of criminal offenders in state correctional facilities. Their purpose is to provide pathways to opportunities that lead to a new way of life built on the habits of good health, good work, strong education, self-pride and community awareness. They also want to assist people in re-establishing their connection with the community. This will be achieved by promoting self-help solutions to independent economic development, leadership development and universal spirituality. For more information, see www.exodus-chicago.org.

Inspiration Corporation

In an atmosphere of dignity and respect, Inspiration Corporation helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and housing. Inspiration Corporation assists 3,000 individuals and families affected by homelessness and poverty each year - serving as a catalyst for self-reliance and leading to happier, more fulfilling lives.

Services include case management; meals; open case management, including direct support grants to people in crisis; culinary job-training and placement; employment preparation, placement and retention; Community Voice Mail; and housing services. For more information, see http://inspirationcorp.org.

For more information on how you can support our community partners, please contact the PSN Outreach Coordinator, Ben Ekelund, at bekelu2@uic.edu