In 2010, the Clackamas County Health, Housing and Human Services Department hosted an event to bring together community partners to discuss the needs of individuals returning to the county from jails and prisons. At that event, the department director asked the Sheriff, the Clackamas Workforce Partnership (CWP)* and Community Corrections to work together to identify available resources, gaps in their services and challenges and opportunities each agency faced in serving this population. This initial meeting has turned into a strong partnership in which the Sheriff’s Office and Community Corrections are written into the CWP’s strategic plan and the three agencies work collaboratively to serve this population.
In 2012, the three agencies jointly applied for and received an 18-month, $1.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide reentry employment services to women leaving the county jail and state prisons. The purpose of these grants is to provide formerly incarcerated women with stability to help them improve their educational and employment outcomes to reduce recidivism.
To read the full report and the companion case studies, visit the Second Chances, Safer Counties web page at: www.NACo.org/WorkforceAndReentry
