Maricopa County received a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Labor to help incarcerated veterans find jobs after release.
The federal government will give the county $500,000 yearly for three years.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee said every veteran in the county “deserves a meaningful opportunity to build a stable and successful future.”
“Veterans are highly valued members of the workforce, and adding such a meaningful reentry program ensures quality employment opportunities will be available upon release,” McGee said.
She added that the grant money will be used as an “investment in the economic opportunity, independence, and the long-term success of veterans.”
Jared Beard, Maricopa County’s assistant director for the workforce development division, said the county will use the grant money to connect incarcerated veterans “with opportunities that are in-demand industries,” including “transportation and logistics, construction and trades, information and emerging technologies and manufacturing.”
These incarcerated veterans can participate in “different apprenticeship programs, workforce readiness workshops and work-based learning opportunities” such as internships.
According to Beard, Maricopa County will try to “find opportunities that make sense where [program participants] will be able to reintegrate and make an impact and support themselves post-release.”
Beard told The Center Square that the county aims to serve 125 incarcerated veterans each year with the grant money.
He said this number was “determined through [its] grant application with the funds available,” factoring in the “average cost of career training, work experience programs [and] apprenticeship tuition.”
Beard said the average cost to train an incarcerated veteran ranges from $4,000 to $4,800.
Some of the biggest barriers incarcerated veterans face when seeking employment after release are having criminal records, the “stigma and restrictions” that come along with having criminal records, as well as having “limited transferable work experience,” the assistant director said.
Furthermore, Beard said they may have “behavioral health challenges, housing instability and restrictive scheduling and availability” from probation appointments.
Maricopa County will work with different “fair chance employers” to find career opportunities for incarcerated veterans that best support their schedules after release, he explained.
Beard told The Center Square that incarcerated veterans who have “any felony conviction within 18 months of their release” qualify for the program. He added that other requirements include income, residency and “their ability to work.”
If a person commits a crime while in the program, Beard said the individual would still have access to it as long as they can work.
He noted Maricopa County will still work with the person to find out what happened and identify another job opportunity.
The county will track “enrollments, job placements [and] job retention,” the assistant director explained.
According to Beard, the federal funds will act as a “capacity building grant” for the county, noting it will be a “building block” to help set up partnerships and agreements and establish workflows.
The grant money will allow the county to work closely with other agencies such as the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Veterans Affairs, housing departments and shelter services.
He noted this type of work will continue past the three-year grant.
The Goldwater Institute declined to comment on the expenditure of federal funds for the program.
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