State Gives LA $10M For Job Program Benefiting Formerly Incarcerated People
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday that the city has received a three-year, $10 million grant from the state to extend a job program that gives formerly incarcerated Angelenos employment opportunities.
"Los Angeles is a place where everybody belongs, and we'll keep working to create opportunities for anyone ready to give back to our communities," Garcetti said. "No one needs a second chance more urgently than our formerly incarcerated sisters and brothers, and New Roads to Second Chances gives people a chance to rebuild their lives through the dignity of work."
The California Department of Transportation grant will allow the city to continue its New Roads to Second Chances program that provides formerly incarcerated people up to 90 paid working days performing street maintenance and cleaning duties on a Caltrans crew.
"We know that African Americans and other people of color are disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system," Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said. "It's important that these people have the support services and opportunities to thrive following incarceration. New Roads provides thousands of opportunities to men and women looking to establish themselves in the city and rejoin their communities."
More than 1,200 people have utilized the program since its 2016 inception and, the mayor's office said, more than 600,000 bags of trash have been collected from roads and highways across the county.
But the program offers participants more than a short-term job.
Those in the program can participate in job-readiness classes, complete practice interviews and work with case managers at Chrysalis to develop their resumes. They're also provided access to computers, professional attire, scholarship funds and transportation assistance.
Ultimately, the program allows participants to develop skills that will help them transition to full-time employment and long-term self-sufficiency.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
