Vanjones.net

Fairchance is a charity in Colorado which was formed as a collaborative partnerships with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado. It was formed as a result of the Obama Administration's (and most likely Van Jone's involvement) provision of a fax to all the U.S. Attorney's Offices in each of the 50 states, requesting their local involvement in re-entry programs for those with a 'justice-involved' past. When the U.S. Attorney's Office contacted the "Colorado Career Project", "Fairchance" was born as a 501c3. Cutting the prison population in half takes a village. But the village can be surprisingly small if the 'ingredients' of the requisite stone soup are provided for. Justice-involved candidates need jobs, of course. But more than their training and counseling, they need employers who are WILLING to take the chance on America's most prolific and ready workforce resource. Fairchance hosts Colorado's largest career fairs, but has attached "symposiums" to the career fairs that pre-condition employers toward hiring. Presided by the U.S. Attorney's Office & U.S. Dept of Labor, "Fairchance" informs employers of the economic values of hiring justice-involved candidates before the career fairs. Tax Incentives, Free Bonding Insurance, and state and federal wage subsidizations ("Free employees") can be provided to employers willing to take a chance with justice involve candidates. Finally, Fairchance utilizes the impact presentations of justice-involved candidates who've turned their lives around. "Tearful testimonies" have helped open the hearts of many major employers including The U.S. Post Office, RNDC, and others. Fairchance 'cements' job hires through the multilevel approach of 1) Incentivizing justice-involved hires (compelling employers to act), 2) Counseling & training Justice-involved candidates, and 3) Providing provisional networks of food, transportation, and housing for re-entry candidates. The "village" that is required to lower recidivism and cement re-entry changes is getting smaller and smaller, and that's a good thing. Historically, more and more agencies, people, and dollars have been thrown at re-entry. But without first 'converting' employers through Fairchance, the process was often all for naught. When employers are networked, willing to consider a case-by-case basis, and driven toward local social change, they can actually enhance the process instead of fighting against it.