Goodwill Industries of Arkansas Receives $750,000 From US DOJ
Summary
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas (GIA) has been awarded the Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Program Grant by the U.S. Department of Justice, amounting to $749,973. These opportunities provide professional skills training and sets regimens and routines while reducing the rate of recidivism. GIA is one of only 22 organizations in the US to receive the grant, and the only one in Arkansas.This grant will not only impact the individuals who receive our TEO program services, it will also produce a ripple effect on their families, local communities, Arkansas workforce and economy that is nearly impossible to measure, said Goodwill Industries of Arkansas President and CEO Brian Marsh. Transforming lives is an effort that takes collaboration among a number of stakeholders, including our local and state governments, and other non-profits that place a priority on education, training and employment.With this money, the TEO program is expanding service to 20 communities all over the state, and their results speak for themselves: the average rate of formerly incarcerated individuals who return to prison in Arkansas is 46.1%, but for those who work with the GIAs program, the rate drops massively to less than 6%.It is expected that the grant will allow the program to assist approximately 900 people, compared to the states prison population of roughly 19,000. The grant will even provide participants with the opportunity for scholarships to The Academy at Goodwill, where they can receive training and certifications in welding, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and carpentry.READ ALSO: BALLOT PETITION COULD CUT JONESBORO LIBRARY FUNDING IN HALF