Employment Connection is partnering with the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health to connect eligible young adults in the St. Louis Promise Zone with re-entry services, including job placement and case management, cognitive therapy, high-school equivalency and adult literacy courses, and additional services like transportation passes, clothing and background checks.
Eligible young adults, ages 18-26, will receive services through a holistic approach – one that has been recognized by many including the Center for Community Corrections, which published “Reentry and Employment in St. Louis: A Model for Business, Community, and Workers” (2007) citing the program as a national best practice model.
Over the past two years, Employment Connection has placed approximately 400 ex-offenders into employment with an average wage of $8.68 per hour. This translates into millions of dollars in contributable earnings instead of the cost of a single offender being incarcerated at approximately $21,000 a year. For 40 years, Employment Connection has offered job training and placement services to thousands of offenders from every type of criminal background.
St. Louis ReCAST – an acronym for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma – is funded by a 5-year, $4.7 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The grant funds five specific areas including violence prevention, youth engagement, peer support, mental health, and trauma-informed care.
Young adults ages 18-26 that have been involved with the justice system and are currently looking for employment may contact Michael McCoy, Career Services manager at Employment Connection, at (314) 333-5685 to learn more about this program.
