The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded United Way of Central Iowa’s Central Iowa Works a $1.5 million grant to support individuals returning from prison to become employed and avoid re-offending.

The grant will allow Central Iowa Works to launch the Central Iowa Returning Citizens Achieve (CIRCA) project and provide intensive case management to 188 people at higher risk for recidivism when returning from prison at four sites – the Iowa Correctional Facility for Women in Mitchellville, the Newton Correctional Facility, Fresh Start Women’s Center, and Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Center. 

The grant will run through Sept. 30, 2021, with the goal that 20 percent or fewer in the program will re-offend, compared with the average recidivism rate of 35 percent.

The project will work with individuals to secure a job, with a focus on connecting people to jobs in construction, retail/food service, transportation distribution and logistics, and health care. Most participants will also receive additional education, including personal development training.

“This grant is a major opportunity to help employers connect with skilled workers who can fill needed jobs, in addition to helping those returning from prison receive greater support so they can successfully re-enter our community,” said Elisabeth Buck, president of United Way of Central Iowa. “We are looking forward to working with many partners to greatly expand our efforts in this area as a key strategy to help more families achieve financial stability.”

Each year, 5,000 citizens return to Iowa after serving time in state prisons. One year after release, 60 percent of people convicted of a crime are not employed, according to the National Institute of Justice. Most people released from prisons are re-arrested within three years, and 70 percent of children with an incarcerated parent will follow in their parent’s footsteps. 

“We know that having a job is essential for someone returning from prison to successfully re-enter our community,” said Pat Steele, director of Central Iowa Works. “Supporting these individuals in securing a good job and working through barriers to re-entering is vital to Central Iowa’s efforts to reduce crime and help all individuals thrive.”

The work is based on a successful model in Texas that focuses on intensive case management for each individual in the program. Partners involved in the project include Des Moines Area Community College, the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families, Goodwill of Central Iowa, the Iowa Restaurant Association, Iowa Legal Aid, Iowa Laborers, the Iowa Department of Corrections, Iowa Workforce Development, and Project Iowa. The U.S. Department of Labor is providing all the funding for the project.

United Way of Central Iowa is in the process of hiring a program manager and two case managers to support the work. Implementation will begin Oct. 1.

For more information and updates on the project, click here.