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Founder’s Thoughts Part 35 | Leadership Requires Hope
Leadership in reentry work requires hope. Not the kind of hope that ignores reality or pretends that everything will work out exactly as planned. Reentry is rarely that simple. There are setbacks, disappointments, closed doors, unexpected barriers, and moments when the path forward is difficult to see. Leadership means holding onto hope even when outcomes…
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Scriptural Encouragement – Part 35
Renewed Purpose “For we are His workmanship…” — Ephesians 2:10 One of the hardest questions a person can face during reentry is also one of the simplest: What do I do with my life now? After incarceration, addiction, homelessness, broken relationships, or years of simply trying to survive, it can be difficult to imagine that…
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Reentry Tips — Tip 35: Be Careful With Your Time
Time Is One of Your Most Valuable Resources When rebuilding your life after incarceration, there are many things you may feel you do not have enough of—money, transportation, employment opportunities, housing options, or resources. But there is one resource everyone receives every day: time. How you use that time can have a powerful influence on…
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Reentry Issues and Solutions — Part 35
Trauma Triggers: When the Past Shows Up in the Present Reentry is often described in practical terms: finding housing, getting a job, obtaining identification, reconnecting with family, securing transportation, and learning how to navigate everyday life again. But some of the greatest challenges are not visible. For many people returning from incarceration, past trauma can…
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REENTRY RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Express Credit Union — A Second Chance at Banking Rebuilding your life after incarceration involves more than finding housing and employment. Having a safe bank account, learning how to manage money, rebuilding credit, and avoiding expensive check-cashing businesses and payday lenders can also be important steps toward long-term stability. Express Credit Union is a Washington-based…
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Beyond the Application: The Employment Challenges of Reentry — and How Compass Helps
Finding a job can be stressful for anyone. For someone returning to the community after incarceration, however, employment can involve an entirely different set of challenges. A justice-involved job seeker may have the skills, motivation, and willingness to work, yet still face barriers long before an employer ever considers what that person can contribute. At…
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Reentry Opportunity Spotlight — Part 34
UA Local 32 Apprenticeship: Building a Career in the Skilled Trades Every successful reentry story starts with opportunity. For someone returning home after incarceration, finding a job is important—but finding a pathway to a stable career can be life-changing. A career can provide more than a paycheck. It can create structure, purpose, financial independence, confidence,…
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Local Union Apprenticeship Programs
Below is a working list of union apprenticeship opportunities that may be useful for individuals return incarceration and seeking paid, earn-while-you-learn careers in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. Apprenticeship openings and application periods change, so applicants should contact the training program before visiting. 1. Plumbers, Pipefitters & HVAC — UA Local 32 U.A. Local 32…
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Second Chance Employer Spotlight
Part 34 — Madden Industrial Craftsmen Industry: Construction StaffingTypical Jobs: Construction Labor • Demolition • Site Cleanup For someone returning to the community after incarceration, finding employment is about much more than earning a paycheck. A job can provide structure, stability, confidence, responsibility, and the opportunity to begin building a new future. That is why…
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Founder Authority Series — Part 34
The Long Game Matters Reentry is not a 30-day, 60-day, or 90-day process. Some programs are short-term by necessity. Funding cycles end. Eligibility periods expire. Transitional programs have completion dates. Staff members have defined roles and caseload limits. All of those realities are understandable. But reentry success is long-term by reality. A person leaving incarceration…
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Reentry Opportunity Spotlight 34
Building a Career from the Ground Up: Roofing Apprenticeship Every successful reentry story starts with opportunity. Sometimes that opportunity is a job. Other times, it is a pathway that allows someone to learn a skilled trade, earn a living, and build a long-term career. This week’s Reentry Opportunity Spotlight highlights the roofing trade and an…
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Founder’s Thoughts Part 34
The Strength of Community Founder’s Thought: No one succeeds alone. When we look at someone who has successfully rebuilt their life, found employment, secured stable housing, repaired relationships, or simply made it through another difficult day, it can be easy to focus on the individual achievement. And that achievement deserves to be recognized. But behind…
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Scriptural Encouragement – Part 34
Serve With Joy “Serve one another in love.” — Galatians 5:13 Reentry is often described in terms of what a person needs: housing, employment, transportation, identification, clothing, food, treatment, relationships, and a stable place in the community. Those needs are real, and addressing them can be essential to building a new life. But there comes…
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Reentry Tips #34
Practice Gratitude Focus on what is going right. Reentry can be overwhelming. There may be appointments to keep, supervision requirements to meet, applications to complete, employment to find, transportation to figure out, relationships to rebuild, and bills to pay. For someone returning after many years of incarceration, even ordinary activities—using a smartphone, navigating the internet,…
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Reentry Issues and Solutions #34
Job Retention Challenges Getting the job is only the beginning. Keeping it can be the greater challenge. Employment is often considered one of the major milestones of successful reentry. A steady paycheck can provide independence, help someone secure housing, meet financial obligations, rebuild credit, support family, and begin planning for the future. For someone returning…
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Your EBT Card May Offer More Benefits Than You Realize
For many people, an EBT card means one thing: help purchasing groceries. That is certainly its primary purpose, but SNAP/EBT participation can also provide access to programs and discounts that many people never hear about. These benefits can be especially valuable for individuals and families living on limited incomes or rebuilding financial stability after incarceration.…
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Reentry Resource Spotlight: King County Library System Offers Much More Than Books
It should be. For someone returning to the community after incarceration, a public library may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about reentry resources. The King County Library System (KCLS) provides a surprisingly large collection of free resources that can help justice-involved individuals search for employment, create resumes, improve computer…
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Founder Authority Series — Part 33
Serving the Whole Person People do not reenter the community in categories. A person does not wake up one morning as a “housing need,” become an “employment need” in the afternoon, and turn into a “recovery need” by evening. Reentry happens to the whole person, all at once. Someone coming home may be trying to…
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Founder’s Thoughts Part 33
Accountability as Empowerment Accountability is often misunderstood as punishment. In reality, accountability can be one of the most empowering forms of support we offer someone. When we hold someone accountable, we are saying, “Your choices matter. You have the ability to make decisions that can shape your future.” That is especially important in reentry. People…
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Reentry Opportunity Spotlight Part 33
Operating Engineers Local 302: Building a Career in Heavy Equipment Every successful reentry story starts with opportunity. For some people returning from incarceration, that opportunity may be found in the skilled trades—where the ability to learn, work hard, show up consistently, and develop a valuable skill can become the foundation for a new career. This…