Prisoners will get a $2,750 check when they leave prison

Gate money: The concept of “gate money” — a little bit of cash upon leaving prison — isn’t new. In fact, a lot of states send prisoners home with some funds in their pocket, generally at least enough for bus fare and a meal. But for most, the cash barely lasts a day.

Released Prisoners May Receive $2,750 in Direct Cash Assistance?

What happens if the state gives direct cash assistance—$2,750 spread out over three payments to released prisoners? This is what the state of California is trying out. A law now allows prosecutors to recommend incarcerated people for release if that person received a particularly excessive sentence, or has shown that they’ve rehabilitated themselves while in prison.

How $24M in Cash Grants Provided a Lifeline for Returning Citizens During Pandemic

Commentary by Sam Schaeffer and Ivonne Garcia: Navigating a return from prison or jail is hard even at the best of times. But during a pandemic it can be daunting. Scott, who was released from a California prison this year after serving six and a half years of a 10-year sentence, found a temporary job that required him to drive through hazardous winter conditions from his transitional housing residence in the San Bernardino Mountains.

This Program Is Testing What Happens When You Give Cash To People Leaving Prison

In California, a law allows prosecutors to recommend incarcerated people for release if that person received a particularly excessive sentence, or has shown that they’ve rehabilitated themselves while in prison. Now, 50 people who are released under that law will be part of a test: What happens if they also get direct cash assistance—$2,750 spread out over three payments—in order to set them up for success as they re-enter society.

Innovative Cash Transfer Program Helped 10,000 Former Prisoners Meet Essential Expenses During Pandemic, Improving Their Feelings of Financial Stability

Nonprofit research organization MDRC released a new study today showing that the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) successfully implemented an ambitious cash transfer program, the Returning Citizens Stimulus, during the pandemic.

CEO Atlanta Speaks With NEWS-TALK 1380 WAOK [PODCAST]

CEO Atlanta was a guest on the Rashad Richey Morning Show from 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Check out the segment that starts around the 7:40 AM mark.

Reporter’s Notebook: Center for Employment Opportunities establishes first Georgia office

[Scroll towards the bottom for story] The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is coming to metro Atlanta, its first office in Georgia, in collaboration with GreenLight Atlanta. The two organizations aim to increase economic growth and mobility among folks who are coming home from prison.

GreenLight Fund Detroit seeks second-round funding for efforts to improve lives of Detroiters in poverty

Boston-based GreenLight Fund announced its intent to come to Detroit in 2016 and made its first "investment" or grant of $600,000 in 2018 to New York-based Center for Employment Opportunities to bring its proven model for getting returning residents into jobs to Detroit. Since then, the group has employed 250 returning citizens in Detroit, Moudgil said.

How Listening to Constituents Can Lead to Systems Change

Giving stakeholders space to ask questions, interrogate findings, and brainstorm responses is a second way that peers evolved from listening to participants to empowering them to self-advocate. For example, the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)—which works across 31 cities in the US to help formerly incarcerated individuals find steady jobs—began systematically soliciting participant feedback six years ago through a grant from Fund for Shared Insight.

Removing Barriers to Success Created by the Criminal Justice System

The Justice and Mobility Fund is a collaborative effort of the Ford Foundation, Blue Meridian Partners, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, which together have pledged US$250 million to boost the economic mobility of 77 million Americans—about one third of all adults—who have been caught in the criminal justice system.

U.S. Bank uses grant to create employment opportunities [VIDEO]

Erica DiMartino-McNertney, CEO Cincinnati Site Director, joins Fox19 Now to discuss U.S. Bank's investment in CEO's program.

U.S. Bank Foundation invests $1 million to support emerging leaders and community-led solutions to address economic disparities

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Bank Foundation today announced a $1 million investment to 20 nonprofit organizations driven by a diverse group of exceptional emerging leaders who are focused on creating effective community-led solutions to the increasing economic disparities.

Coalition Boosts Economic Mobility Within Criminal Justice System

A new coalition, The Justice and Mobility Fund, is heading an effort to help lift the economic fortunes and provide opportunities to people previously impacted by the criminal justice system. The coalition starts with an initial investment of $250 million, $145 million of which has already been distributed to nine organizations.

New Partnership Focuses On Helping Former Inmates Find & Maintain Employment [PODCAST]

Michael Taylor, CEO Atlanta Site Director, discusses the launch and goals of the organization's 31st location. Discussion starts at 25:30

How to Implement Fair Chance Hiring at Your Organization

As many as one in three Americans have some kind of criminal record — more specifically, between 70 and 100 million. But even a minor infraction, such as a misdemeanor, can create lifelong obstacles for someone when it comes to accessing housing, public assistance and especially employment.

Ford Foundation and partners announce $250 million commitment to easing the path from prison to workforce

LaTanicia Rogers needed a lot of things when she was released from federal prison last May. After serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence for Medicare fraud, Rogers was released early as covid-19 overran the prison where she was incarcerated. She saw guards and inmates become ill, and a woman in an adjacent cell died of the virus. She was grateful to have survived the pandemic, but returning home in the middle of the corresponding economic downturn presented a new set of challenges for Rogers.

Opinion: Key Fixes for New York’s Broken Parole System Await the Governor’s Signature

It wasn’t the eight months of military-style, intense shock incarceration that finally broke me; it was my parole officer. After my incarceration at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility for non-violent offenders in Brocton, New York, I quickly realized I was living in constant fear of reincarceration. My parole officer had issued strict conditions such as travel limitations and unreasonable curfews, which prevented me from getting to work on time. There were incessant home visits, often at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. I was convinced my parole officer was scrutinizing my every move, just waiting for a reason to issue a technical parole violation.

Opinion: Addressing biases and barriers can help solve worker shortage

Employers across California are asking, “Where can we find workers?” The truth is that many hundreds of thousands of Californians are locked out of opportunity. And it doesn’t have to be that way. Many of our state’s most pressing economic challenges are the consequence of inaction. In this case, more than 55,000 Californians come home from incarceration each year and, without jobs or other options, about 50 percent go back to prison within three years.

To Boost Hiring, New York Makes Case for a ‘Clean Slate’

For many Americans, criminal records stand as stubborn barriers to employment and housing. Several states are now advancing efforts to automatically seal and expunge those records.

Getting Former Prisoners Back in the Workforce [Video]

It can be hard for people to find employment because of their past mistakes. However, this nonprofit helps citizens get back on track with the tools they need to find work.

CEO Denver's Kristen Payne Talks with Channel 9News About the Program in the Local Community.

Watch video in the link.

A Transitional Work Program That Leads to Long-term Success

One in three adults in the United States has a criminal record. That’s 70 million people, according to American Progress. Even after they’ve fulfilled their time, the formerly incarcerated are five to seven times more likely to be unemployed, a statistic further exacerbated by COVID-19. Organizations such as the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) are working to change that statistic.

Google, nonprofits, to expand training for previously incarcerated people in Bay Area

Google Partners with Nonprofits on Skills Training for Formerly Incarcerated People

Google will join New York-based groups The Ladies of Hope Ministries, Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures and The Fortune Society to help improve job prospects for people with criminal records, a group that's unemployed at 5x the national average.

‘They have a chance’: Center finds jobs, restores hope for formerly incarcerated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte organization is making progress finding work for people released from prison, despite the pandemic. Channel 9 has previously reported on the outcome of a lawsuit that is forcing North Carolina prisons to release 3,500 people early due to COVID-19 concerns. Anchor Brittney Johnson talked to advocates working to help more people re-enter our cities with the support they need to succeed.