It’s hard enough to find a job that offers a liveable wage – Melissa Elliott defines that job as one that pays at least $20 an hour. But that search becomes exponentially more difficult for those men and women who have been incarcerated and are looking to get back on their feet.
Gainful employment and affordable housing are two of the biggest challenges that Elliott identifies for the “justice-involved population” that she works with as Vance County’s case manager for the Family Resource Center for South Atlantic, a Raleigh-based agency that supports people as they transition from jail or prison back into society.
The goal of the agency is to help individuals become self-sufficient and to reduce rescividism, which she said is about 40 percent. That means that 40 percent of those who were convicted of a crime will re-offend and return to jail.
“Job placement assistance…is one of the biggest things we do,” Elliott told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk.
Elliott invited anyone interested to attend a re-entry resource fair and expungement clinic on Tuesday, April 12 at D.N. Hix Gym in Oxford. There will be employers on site who are looking for workers – some will be prepared to interview prospective employees on the spot, she said.
Last year, Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington proclaimed that the city of Henderson would join the observance of April as National Re-Entry Month.
When individuals return to their families after serving sentences in jail or prison, it’s important that they receive support from the community so they can become productive members of society again. Elliott said everyone deserves a second chance, and part of her job as case manager is to “make sure that second chance is there for those who need it most…and to help the justice-involved population be as successful as they can be.”
Elliott said there are more resources for re-entry now than there have been in the past. If you have a family member or loved one scheduled for release from jail or prison in the next four months, now is the time to contact South Atlantic’s Family Resource Center to find out how they can help.
The phone number is 919.740.7950.
As for the April 12 event, Elliott said it will be a full-service resource fair, with everything from a presentation by Legal Aid of North Carolina about record expungement to financial literacy classes. There will be a food distribution, outreach services and much more.
“We want to make sure that everyone understands they can get a second chance,” Elliott said. While not condoning the offenses that may have occurred in a person’s past, Elliott said there are resources to assist those who want to start fresh and be successful.
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