S.J. supervisors OK job skills program at honor farm
STOCKTON — The county’s ongoing effort to address its homelessness problem took a step forward Tuesday morning with the Board of Supervisors’ final go-ahead to use $1.4 million in state grant funding for a housing and job-skills program for newly released male jail inmates at risk of ending up on the streets. Also qualifying for the program will be homeless men who are on probation for past convictions.
The new transitional-housing program is expected to admit its first residents by early June.
“This community is starting to turn the ship of this problem in the right direction,” said Jon Mendelson, executive director of the not-for-profit Ready to Work, which will operate the program based at San Joaquin County’s Honor Farm.
Supervisor Kathy Miller, who convened the county’s homelessness task force, said she anticipates the program becoming a mainstay on a growing menu of services intended to aid those who are living on the streets or are considered at-risk.
“This is not a short-term fix,” Miller said.
Here are some questions and answers about the Ready To Work program.
Q:
How many will be served at any given time?
A:
The capacity is 45. The population will be ramped up slowly. Mendelson said his goal is for the program to be at capacity by year’s end.
Q:
What will it cost to serve one person for one year in the Ready To Work program?
A:
According to District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar, whose office is working in conjunction with Ready To Work, it will cost $25,000. Verber Salazar said a year in jail costs $65,000. She also said some inmates serving less than a one-year jail sentence will be eligible to serve some of their time in the Ready to Work program.
“One of the most valuable tools we have for fighting crime is a job,” Verber Salazar said. “From Day 1, you start working and learn the discipline of getting back into the workforce.”
Q:
What sorts of jobs will participants be doing?
A:
They will do community cleanups, as well as litter and graffiti abatement, according to Mendelson. They also will receive longer-term job training and will be connected with trade organizations and private companies that have job openings.
Q:
How long may participants stay in the program?
A:
Mendelson said the range is from nine to 15 months. In some cases, he said, he expects participants to be ready to leave the program before nine months. But the 15-month maximum is a hard limit. The program will provide transition services to all participants, including assistance finding permanent housing for those who have termed out.
Q:
Why is this program specifically for male inmates?
A:
Mendelson said male inmates are at the greatest risk of homelessness once released from custody, and there’s a dearth of services for these men. Further, the Honor Farm housing is not set up for a mixed-gender population.
“Men without children have the fewest resources available to them to attain permanent housing or to attain employment,” Mendelson said, adding that a similar women’s program may eventually be established.
Q:
Will the program serve anyone besides current inmates?
A:
Law enforcement agencies already are identifying homeless men who are living on the streets and previously were incarcerated to see if they may be good fits, Verber Salazar said. Additionally, the eventual goal also is to open the doors to homeless veterans, said Mendelson.
“Our initial population is people who are getting out of incarceration and have homelessness either as part of their past history or part of their future,” Mendelson said.
Q:
What help will be provided as participants term out of the program?
A:
Mendelson said partnerships with the private sector are being developed to connect participants with job opportunities. He added that exiting participants also will receive a “graduation grant” to help them with a security deposit and a portion of the firstmonth’s rent.
Participants will not have unfettered access to money they earn while working in the Ready To Work program. Instead, Ready To Work will hold onto some of the earnings to create a nest egg that will be given to participants as they exit.
Q:
Will the program have difficulty finding participants?
A:
Not likely. “People have called us and said, ‘Can you take my son? Can you take my brother?’ “Verber Salazar said. “There is definitely a need for this.”