Phase I of our campaign partners Restart320 with Construction Ready and Georgia Corrections Agency to teach financial and job skills to Georgia Returning Citizens. Phase I of our training program will be to provide Construction Ready’s 20-day accreditation program in person at the ReEntry facility located at 1301 Constitution Drive in southeast Atlanta.
The Georgia ReEntry facility is one of the only facilities in the country where all of the inmates qualify for release, as returning citizens, within the next 36 months. The goal is to begin teaching in person in February 2023.
The ReEntry facility currently houses 329 returning citizens and has a maximum capacity of 352. During any given six-month period approximately 28-30 individuals would typically qualify for release within 18 months.
Graduates are trained, credentialed, and ready for employment immediately after graduation. Typically Construction Ready graduates earn wages between $13 to $18 an hour. Since its inception Construction Ready has graduated 1,361 individuals. They have placed 1,312 graduates giving them an incredible placement rate of 96.4%.
Ultimately the goal will be to teach two to three of Construction Ready’s 20-day accreditation program per year at the Georgia ReEntry facility. Each course, consisting of 20 participants costs $100,000 but gives these returning citizens the opportunity to have well-paying stable jobs upon their release. As one would imagine, employment and housing are critical factors in reducing recidivism rates.