County launches program to help people released from jail find jobs

Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 19:20

Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff

An unoccupied wing of the county’s jail has been changed — with doors replacing bars — to shelter homeless people. They will be eligible for the county's new job-training program.

ALBANY COUNTY — The county has launched a partnership with the Capital Region Workforce Development Board to provide support and job readiness training to people released from Albany’s jail as well as clients of the Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program, known as SHIP, which is housed at the jail.

Each year in the United States, over 600,000 people are released from jails and prisons with studies showing that 60 to 75 percent remain unemployed up to a year after release.

“This is a game-changer for our community because it will reduce instances of recidivism while also fostering an Albany County that actively embraces all individuals and their pasts. A huge thank you and moment of recognition to our former legislator, Matthew Peter, who we dearly miss, for leading this initiative. I am thankful that we were able to successfully see it through,” said Albany County Legislature Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham in a release announcing the program.

The program coincides with another county initiative by which people are paid for the time spent being trained. This ensures businesses are kept whole for efforts to onboard and educate new employees, and was financed as part of the more than $2.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds used by the county for workforce development.

More Regional News

  • Altamont Fair Week had some moving moments

    Asked on Monday how many attended the tri-county fair, Canaday said, “If you don’t put the numbers in context, they don’t mean anything …. We’re happy with having a lot of happy people here on the fairgrounds. We have gotten some very, very positive feedback through social media. People had a wonderful time and can’t wait for next year. And that’s what we’re going to measure it by.”

  • ‘Heartwarming and energizing’: Bearing banners to save democracy

    The “bridge parties” organized by Christine Primomo do not involve players sitting around a card table. Rather, they involve activists holding banners across a bridge — banners that Primomo says are to inspire passersby to join the movement to preserve democracy.

  • State grant to expand broadband coverage

    When the government assesses need, it does so on a census-block by census-block basis, where if just one household in a block has broadband it means that block is “served,” in the eyes of the government. This puts rural communities at a disadvantage because their low population densities mean their blocks cover a larger geographic area.

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.