Employment Connection CEO Brenda Mahr said there is an alarming new trend that needs urgent attention: generational incarceration. Over a 25-year period, Mahr said, there has been an increase in the number of children with incarcerated parents. And 26 percent of jail inmates surveyed by the U.S. Department of Justice had a mother or father who had been incarcerated.
“Much like you have a whole family of teachers,” Mahr said.
She said generational incarceration has created an unmet community need, and it is an issue that Employment Connection plans to address in a way that will impact the community as a whole.
“You’re listening to a dream that I’m just starting to work on,” she said.
Employment Connection receives funding from the Department of Corrections to provide services for adults reentering society after incarceration.
She said, “We want to start the process of saying, ‘Do you have kids? If you do, where are they?’”
According to research by the Pew Charitable Trust, there are an estimated 2.7 million youth in the United States under age 18 with a parent currently in jail or prison.
Research and Employment Connection’s interactions with ex-offenders have shown that it is vital to work with both parents and youth to break the cycle of generational incarceration. Mahr said the agency is searching for a funding source with a holistic approach. Building strong programs is a strategic goal the agency will implement over the next few years, in addition to developing sustainable revenue sources and increasing strategic community partnerships.
Employment Connection, which was founded 37 years ago with the mission to reduce recidivism through employment for those leaving prison, is a member agency of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The agency has expanded its services to assist veterans, individuals recovering from substance abuse, homeless and low-income individuals and families, new Americans and at-risk youth.
“Services are targeted to high-risk, difficult-to-serve people who have tried other resources that have not worked for them,” Mahr said.
Coming out on top
U.S. Army veteran Lisa Shelley never thought she would be jobless and homeless. Shelley had been out of the workforce for 10 years after taking an early retirement from AT&T where she had worked for 26 years as a communications technician. At 47, she was too young to collect a pension and worked odd jobs to make ends meet.
Shelley said the job skills she had were outdated and that her age prevented her from obtaining full-time employment. She could not afford a place of her own and resorted to staying with relatives, who abused drugs and alcohol. She said they would steal her medicine and money.
“I started sleeping in my car to get away from them,” she said. “At that point, I was suicidal and depressed with my situation.”
Hope Recovery, which provides veterans with housing, jobs and mental health programs, referred Shelley to Employment Connection. And with one phone call, Shelley’s life changed. Employment Connection obtained temporary housing for Shelley at Jefferson Barracks VA Hospital until the agency could help Shelley find permanent housing. She now lives in her own apartment.
Through Employment Connection’s temp agency, she began working at Barnes-Jewish Hospital as a housekeeper until medical issues kept her from working and she left Barnes-Jewish on disability.
As a veteran, Employment Connection helped Shelley secure funding from the Veterans Administration to continue her education. She recently graduated from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley with a certificate in deaf communication studies, and she plans to pursue an associate degree in interpreter education. Mahr said Employment Connection focuses on helping its clients obtain employment that will lead to a career.
Last year, Shelley was named Employment Connection’s Client of the Year and now serves on the agency’s board of directors as a client advocate. She said Employment Connection helps you become a “whole person.”
“Being a person who has gone through the system and come out on top on the other side is awesome,” she said of Employment Connection.
For a complete listing of Employment Connection programs, call 314-333-5627.
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.
