Nonprofits help formerly incarcerated Navy veterans reenter the workforce

with their help from job training to mentorship programs these nonprofit organizations offer a wide range of services to break down barriers to employment and help create a smooth transition back into society 4 days a week Tracy Holt is hard at work working as a backup driver he also spends his time performing litter abatement Highway Maintenance and Landscaping Hol a Navy veteran has successfully reintegrated into society thanks to the support of San Diego's five key schools and programs which

offers transitional employment to formally incarcerated individuals a job is a key element in in success and not being becoming a statistic of you know the reism rate that California has after serving two decades in prison there was several times I just you know just want to say uh I'm good I'm done I just want to quit says he faced significant barriers to employment after his release there there's always you know the uncertainty of what's going to be next a job is the most important without a j

ob your your odds and chances of you know going back or you know greater than it is if you have the stability the five key schools and programs Works closely with the network of 18 other nonprofit Partners in Sano County including back to work and the San dieo Workforce partnership it's very difficult when you have been out of the workforce for x amount of years or even just have a background support in providing a essentially temporary employment while they look for permanent employment or uh r

ejoin education system through their partnership the organizations combine their resources to provide comprehensive wraparound Services tailored to the needs of formally incarcerated people well the workforce partnership is very important when it comes to the Vitality of our our economy and our community recently the ca Workforce program received a nearly $5 million Grant from the California Workforce Development board the money aims to bolster Employment Services through its re-entry work Servi

ces we want to support these individuals and they have all the ability to do the work we just they just need that support Tony Young is the interim president and CEO of the San Diego Workforce partnership and says the grant will further help the nonprofit and its Regional Partners to provide life-changing services to individuals like Tracy Tracy is is really embodies what we're about we have resources uh that to help individuals like Tracy really make a a difference not only in his life but the

lives of others you know I I have the same you know the same dreams the same aspirations as everybody else you know I just you know I just want to be you know treated like I'm a human being young says Tracy story serves as a testament to the transformative impact organizations like back to work and San dieo Workforce partnership can have it made all the difference in the world there's no there's no way that you know I could have made it without the resources that was made available to me Tracy's

currently working to obtain his commercial driver's license which will help him take the next steps into a full-time permanent career R DEA cbs8