The greater new orleans region has a unique opportunity to grow strong career pathways that offer sustainable wages, lower the high rates of recidivism and connect local resources to incarcerated…

The City of New Orleans, through its Division of Housing doing business as Job 1 Office of Workforce Development, has been awarded a $1,218,757 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration's Reentry Employment Opportunities program (CFDA 17.270). The grant will fund the Reimagining Employment Strategies to Offer Reentry to Employment and Beyond (RESTORE) program, which aims to remove barriers and provide a pathway for 150 incarcerated individuals in New Orleans to successfully reenter the workforce prior to their release. RESTORE will address challenges related to reentry programs, high incarceration and recidivism rates, and the impacts of COVID-19. The program will offer a range of pre- and post-release services, including career training, supportive services, and partnerships with local organizations, to facilitate the participants' transition back into the community and employment.

The greater new orleans region has a unique opportunity to grow strong career pathways that offer sustainable wages, lower the high rates of recidivism and connect local resources to incarcerated men and women that are needed in the sunset of their prison term. The mayors office of workforce development has written a comprehensive plan, reimagining employment strategies to offer reentry to employment and beyond (RESTORE) that will change the landscape of the traditional RE-entry space in new orleans, louisiana. RESTORE is an all-inclusive, client focused program whose purpose is to remove barriers and provide a pathway for incarcerated people to return to the workforce by providing services and support needed through partnerships. RESTORE will address three challenges that have increasingly limited progress in new orleans regarding (1) RE-entry programs for individuals in detention that are at the sunset of their terms (2) incarceration and recidivism rates and its relation to racial inequality, and (3) covid 19S stressors on society, which lowered confidence and increased uncertainty during the pandemic. The mayors office of workforce development is requesting 1,499,999 to serve 150 incarcerated participants in the city of new orleans, prior to release, with a total cost of 9,999.75 per participant. Of this group of 150 individuals that have previously been convicted of a felony, up to five participants can be violent crime offenders and up to five participants can be sexual assault offenders. All participants will be vetted from inmates housed at the orleans justice center (OJC) who have demonstrated readiness through a series of orientations, trainings, and evaluations. Orleans justice center, our local parish (COUNTY) jail, a mandatory partnership, is located at 2800 perdido ST., new orleans, louisiana. Other partnerships include the mayors office, job 1- american job center, judge marcus delarge, criminal court which is the RE-entry court for the city of new orleans, first 72 , total community action, INC. (TCA), the office of housing policy and community development (OCD), strive nola, thrive, the department of children and family services (DCFS), the regional transit authority, municipal traffic court of new orleans, new orleans recreational department commission (NORD-C), integrated family services, loving hearts behavioral and mental health services, southern university at new orleans(SUNO) delgado community college, center for opportunity (CEO works), louisiana workforce commission,(LWC), fulcrum enterprises LLC, the south east louisiana building construction trades and the financial literacy you take everywhere (FLYTE). Our partners in this endeavor will provide pre and post release activities to be detailed within the narrative of this application.