Sam Schaeffer, CEO of the Center for Employment Opportunities: Keys to Building An Economic Future After Incarceration

On this episode of WorkforceRx, we take a close look at a successful model for assisting a part of the U.S. workforce that faces more challenges than most others: formerly incarcerated individuals. Among the headwinds they face in the job market are social stigmas, legal barriers, and a lack of up-to-date skills, which explains an unemployment rate of over 27% for this population. Over the last several decades, the Center for Employment Opportunities has developed an effective approach for reducing recidivism that combines immediate employment after release with one-on-one case management, job placement and job retention services, propelling it to become the nation's largest re-entry employment organization. As the Center’s CEO Sam Schaeffer explains, nearly half of its funding comes through contracts with public agencies, such as parks departments, which are in need of supplemental labor that's highly flexible. “We go in and make the case that you need this work and we can provide it in a cost-effective way. It’s a testament to the amazing work that our crew members do every day that once we're in and people see how strong the work is, it’s very rare for us to not have that become a multi-decade relationship.” Join Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan as she explores other success factors in the Center’s model such as cash incentives, daily paychecks and helping participants find higher level work that provides both purpose and economic mobility.