Beyond the Numbers: Karen’s Story Shows Why Reentry Cash Assistance Works

In 2024, the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) launched the Helping Justice-Involved Reenter Employment (HIRE) initiative, a $50 million investment in nonprofit-led employment services for people returning from incarceration. The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and its statewide reentry partners were awarded $6.9 million, $2 million of which was set aside for direct cash assistance to help participants cover immediate needs like housing, transportation, and bare essentials.

For Karen, a mother from Los Angeles who received the HIRE initiative, this investment became the lifeline she needed.

Even before her release, Karen was working to transform her life. During her incarceration, she earned her high school diploma and associate’s degree, got sober, and completed training to become an incarcerated wildfire firefighter. But reintegration doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and no amount of preparation could change the reality she faced when she came home: no income, no stable housing, and a teenage son at risk of falling through the cracks.

“I don’t think I would have made it out here without the money,” Karen says. “If I didn't have cash assistance, I may have been forced to go back to my old ways to survive—the things I know how to do but don't want to do.”

Through CEO’s eight-week Career Bridge Builder class—a prerequisite for receiving HIRE funds—Karen completed life skills, financial literacy, and job readiness training. With each milestone she met, she received part of a $2,700 direct cash assistance package, broken into three payments. That support made all the difference.

“I used the money to pay my rent and utilities, for transportation, and for essentials I couldn’t otherwise afford—things like soap, toothpaste, and clothes for work,” she says.

More than just meeting material needs, the funds gave Karen breathing room to focus on building a future. She and her son were able to leave behind months of instability. “He was couch-surfing and at risk of not graduating,” she recalls. “But once we had a stable place to live, he could finally focus on school. It gave us the foundation to move forward.”

The HIRE grant wasn’t just a lifeline—it was a launchpad. Karen began working the graveyard shift as a transitional housing aide. Her dedication and empathy didn’t go unnoticed, and she was quickly promoted to a community health worker role, where she now helps at-risk youth secure housing and employment.

“Now I’m doing something I really love,” she says. “Helping people with mental health and substance use disorders—it’s personal, and it’s meaningful.”

Karen's success wasn’t accidental. It was built from her own determination, the structure provided by CEO, and the timely support of direct cash assistance.

“If I had to walk the streets with nothing in my pockets, the decisions I’ve made since getting out would have been drastically different,” she says. “Now I have a home, a job, my son, stability… all because of this reentry cash assistance program and a little hard work.”

Karen’s story demonstrates what the data has already begun to show: when people are given the right support, including direct cash, their chances of long-term success increase dramatically. A recent MDRC report found that 60-day cash assistance programs reduced overall parole violations by more than 40%, with benefits lasting over a year and contributing to lower rates of reincarceration.

For Karen, those statistics have a face, a family, and a future.

“I feel like if your dreams don't scare you, they aren’t big enough,” she says. “It’s a privilege to serve others while building a future for myself. I’m living my dream every day.”

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