Coffee jobs for ex-offenders
EX-OFFENDERS in Widnes are being given the chance at turning their lives around by training as coffee shop workers.
The Recovery Brew project run by the Change Grow Live charity on Waterloo Road has been running a café on Friday lunchtimes but is to extend its opening hours in a bespoke facility after receiving a £5,000 grant from David Keane, Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner.
Working with clients who have been involved in crime and substance misuse, it is hoped that the training they receive puts them on the path to employment as a barista.
The project is one of hundreds of schemes to receive funding from the commissioner’s Safer Communities Fund.
PCC David Keane said: “Tackling crime and reoffending is one of my key priorities. The criminal justice system is about more than just punishing those who break the law but also providing the opportunities and support to ensure that they do not reoffend once they have been through the system.
“Policing alone cannot prevent people from reoffending and that’s why it’s vital that we support projects like Recovery Brew which work closely with our communities to not only provide employment and training opportunities for exoffenders but also support other vulnerable people.”
Charlotte Roberts, of Change Grow Live, said: “The Recovery Brew project will provide a viable option and employment hopes for individuals who may have never had a paid job before in their lives. The funding from PCC David Keane will help us to support service users to not get further involved in crime and anti-social behaviour by providing diversionary and developmental opportunities in a safe and familiar space.
“It will also provide a community space for community connections including a stigma-free place to access rehabilitation and recovery support including ‘meet and greet’ events for prison releases, PCSO community events and peer support networks.”