Hope 2 Hire Blog / September 24, 2019

Looking back over the past year of Hope 2 Hire

At Hope 2 Hire, we want to see our participants succeed post-release. Our main goal is to provide the resources necessary so that upon release, previously incarcerated individuals have everything required to reenter the workforce. Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen a great amount of success with our program participants, and we want to share those with you!

Over 100 participants have graduated from the TCAT Training Classes
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology offers three career paths to Hope 2 Hire participants: Building Construction Technology, Masonry and Logistics. These 13-week programs give students the skills necessary for these fields of service. These courses were selected not only for their replicability in our local prisons, but because there are well-paying jobs available in the Mid-South in these fields. Over the past year, we’ve had 106 participants graduate from this program. We’re so proud and hope that through continuous hard work, next year will bring even more.

73 graduates have been released from incarceration
While we’re proud of our program graduates, graduation is not the end goal. The end goal is to provide a new path forward for our students, and one way we track this is through release and recidivism rates. To date, 73 graduates have been released from incarceration after completing our program. Thanks to our partners like Workforce Investment Network, our graduates receive job counseling and then career placements and other services. Some go on to attend TCAT for further training and certification.

53 of those released are now employed
According to a Nelp study, around 600,000 people are released from prison each year. Of these 600,000 people, 60 to 75% remain unemployed up to a year upon release. The statistics look much better for our graduates. In the past year and a half, 53 of our graduates have gained and maintained employment – that’s about 73%. HopeWorks continues to assist these graduates with case management and support to avoid these high numbers of unemployment. Through our professional and life skills building classes, participants are able to put what they’ve learned to the test – and succeed, at that.

81% of those released have stayed out of the justice system
From 2015 to 2017, the recidivism rate in Memphis dropped from 35.5% to 31.9%. Conversely, only 19% of Hope 2 Hire graduates have reentered the criminal justice system. Through our first class of graduates, we can see that there is clear movement. With more awareness of our program, we believe that this can drop even more in the future.

While these statistics are exciting, there is still work to be done! We can see the positive change brought to life with the help of our partners, participants and you – and we’re so thankful for your involvement with our organization.