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MERRY CHRISTMAS:
God Bless Us Everyone!
All of us at 2nd Chance Indiana wish you and your families a holy and happy Christmas. We know so many who read this are either involved in supporting our work, or working in parallel efforts to help the marginalized and hopeless across Indiana.Thank you for everything you do!
Thank you for feeding the hungry, for fighting violence, and for your help in reducing recidivism and rescuing otherwise wasted human capital.
We are working in areas all over the state of Indiana and wish everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas, and peace, health, and promise in the New Year.
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TRUSTED MENTORS & 2CI:
Team Mentoring A Possibility As More Volunteers Are Trained!
One of the most powerful ways to help a reentrant from incarceration is to supply him or her with a mentor, so 2nd Chance Indiana is working closely with Trusted Mentors to ensure that all inmates in Indiana prisons and county jails, who truly want to turn their lives around, will have a mentor made available to them. Our group (right) met recently to discuss the One Parish One Prisoner movement, which includes working with churches in an effort to attract multiple people as mentors for a single reentrant.
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This model relieves the 24x7x365 burden otherwise borne by a single mentor. Next we'll be meeting with officials of One Parish One Prisoner to decide if our group should become their Indiana affiliate.
Meanwhile, Doug Evans, who manages our office in the Marion County Detention Center recently went through Trusted Mentors' training with others who work with those in need of a friend. Male Mentors are especially needed. Apply Here.
PICTURED: Top Photo (L-R) Trusted Mentors' Executive Director Costeena Weathersby, Partner Relationship Development Manager Ed Witulski, Mentor Trainer, McKenzie Hampton, 2nd Chance Indiana's President, Jim Cotterill, and Deacon John Cord, of the Corrections Ministry, Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
PICTURED: 2nd Photo: Trainees at Trusted Mentor event, with 2nd chance Indiana's Doug Evans, (second from right) and Shelby Barnes, 2CI volunteer, (Center).
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HELPING HAND TO EMPLOYEES:
General Devices & 2CI Talk Jobs & Van Transportation
When a former inmate who was a "great employee" asked for help, Susan Williams, General Devices' People Support Manager, called 2nd Chance Indiana. The employee needed transportation to get to and from work, and was afraid he'd lose his job unless he got help. It's a situation facing almost 60% of reentrants who have no reliable transportation without 2nd Chance Indiana's van program.
2CI's Molly Oliver and and Scott Whiting met with Williams to explore the transportation options for reentrants and veterans who need a ride to keep their jobs. General Devices is a custom metal fabrication company, and as it hires more formerly incarcerated people, a van program will allow the company to maintain a workforce that will show up every day as their reentrant and veteran employees grow into a secure future.
PICTURED: Susan Willians, People Support Manager, General Devices, and Molly Oliver, Director of Transportation, 2nd Chance Indiana.
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ITS WORKING:
Community Violence Reduction & Indy's Gun Reduction Effort
Recently Community Violence Intervention (CVI) released a new strategic plan to reduce violence in cities across the nation. Locally, Stop the Violence Indianapolis founder, Anthony Beverly, is working with CVI, through his grassroots community-based efforts, which provide relationship-based results. Beverly is an important member of the Indianapolis Gun Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), as well, and says the results have been gratifying.
Indianapolis' GVRS identified those at the highest risk of being involved in gun violence and employed intensive interventions with them to prevent retaliatory shootings. Since 2022 GVRS has affected a 31% reduction in murders and a 20% reduction in nonfatal shootings here. Other major cities have made historic reductions through these kinds of efforts as well, including Chicago, Newark, New York, and Los Angeles. There is hope.
PICTURED: Anthony Beverly, Stop The Violence Indianapolis
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SOURCING GOOD JOBS:
Integrity Enterprise Services To Partner With 2CI?
This month, John Dearman, founder and CEO of Integrity Enterprise Services met with 2CI's Scott Whiting, Molly Oliver, and Dewayne Whitney to discuss the need to get jobs and van transportation to and from work for reentrant-employees. Integrity Enterprise provides a wide range of commercial cleaning services, and as a veteran-owned small business, the discipline and commitment to excellence that John developed during his military service is evident. 2nd Chance Indiana is excited about the opportunity to add Integrity Enterprise Services to its exceptional group of employers who want to give a hand up to those who need a second chance.
PICTURED (Lto R, TOP to BOTTOM) 2nd Chance Indiana's Director of Transportation, Molly Oliver; Vice President, Scott Whiting; Jobs Counselor Dewayne Whitney; and CEO of Integrity Enterprise Services, John Dearman.
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A JOB & A RIDE:
Saving Lives, Cutting Costs
The status quo used to be horses and buggies. Now there are self-driving electric cars. Times change. Methods improve. With average long-term recidivism statistics of 77%, it’s time for a new paradigm.
Second Chance Indiana has been working for the past two years on a pilot program that connects reentrants from incarceration with good jobs and provides van transportation to and from work, as 58% of them have no car. It’s a success for many. At the same time, if we can cut the inmate population by even 1% across the state, we can save millions of taxpayer dollars and reunite hundreds of families, whose lives will change, with an income and a mom or dad, who works and supports them. Read more Here.
PICTURED: 2nd Chance Indiana van riders to and from RecycleForce
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Why Support 2nd Chance Indiana?
2nd Chance Indiana's team works to reduce recidivism and rebuild lives through the dignity of work. In the process we believe that our efforts can also have a profound, multi-generational impact by reducing poverty, crime, and homelessness.
Our major focus is to assist the thousands of inmates returning to communities across Indiana after long-term incarceration. 2nd Chance Indiana provides mentored job training inside the correctional facility, and a jobs website for those with a criminal record, 2ndChanceIN.com, which is filled with job opportunities and support agencies to help reentrants get back to work, support themselves and their families, and contribute to the economic improvement of their neighborhoods.
How You Can Support Jobs for Justice- Involved Individuals
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Support For Reentrants After Incarcertion:
Since 2017 UNITE INDY, now 2nd Chance Indiana, has provided a free web-based system, 2ndChanceIN.com, that connects those released from incarceration with jobs offered by our 45 employer partners, willing to hire people with a criminal record and pay them a living wage.
The site also offers a huge network of support organizations that can help with housing, drug abatement, licensing, clothing and so much more.
A good job found quickly after release from incarceration drives down recidivism about 90%, according to studies. Unemployment is connected to poverty, a criminal record, and re-incarceration. Our poorest neighborhoods contain many who have not been able to get good jobs because they have a criminal record, but 2nd Chance Indiana not only connects them with jobs, it also provides van transportation to many sites to help those who do not have affordable or reliable transportation. In some neighborhoods of Marion County unemployment is extremely high and poverty remains the overwhelming cause of violence and lack of opportunity for children.
You can help us to help a reentrant today, Here! To know more, go to 2nd Chance Indiana now. There are a number of choices that are all secure and safe. By sending your fully tax deductible gift* now we can have a greater impact meeting needs in our community.
Many, many thanks!
*UNITE INDY dba 2nd Chance Indiana is approved under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) as a Public Charity, donors can deduct contributions they make under IRC Section 170.
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Corporate Partners
A big Thank YOU to our Corporate Partners for their unwavering support which makes it possible for us to provide our services at no charge to job applicants and employers!
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