New initiative in Pontiac promotes workforce reintegration for returning citizens

Pontiac Councilwoman Melanie Rutherford said she's excited about the possibilities of this partnership

Congress Should Change SNAP benefits that Penalize Returning Citizens Who Work

I'm one of the lucky ones. After serving over 20 years in prison, I thought my most vital necessities - food and housing - were lost. I am grateful for a supportive family that helped me transition back into society. My brother made sure I got off to a good ...

Michigan law should require prisoner ID program, lawmakers say

When Kenneth Nixon left prison in 2021, it took him six months to get his ID and driver's license. Because he didn't have his vital documents, such as a birth certificate, he couldn't open a bank account or get a job.

From participant to advocate, RayVon is advancing criminal legal system reforms

RayVon is dedicated to working as a champion for the rights of people impacted by the criminal legal system . “My goal is to have my voice heard and my advocacy recognized,” he says. RayVon serves as a facilitator for the Participant Advocacy Council (PAC), a program by the Center ...

As CEO’s new Midwest Social Enterprise Manager, Quincy is creating pathways to economic mobility

Like many young graduates, Quincy wasn’t sure where life would take him after school, but he knew he wanted to work in criminal justice reform. Growing up, he had older siblings impacted by the criminal justice system. He says that had a big effect on his family and led him ...

After waiting three decades, 54-year-old Michigander will vote in first general election

At 54 years old, William Lewis is a first-time voter. It’s not that Lewis wasn’t interested in voting before this election cycle — for more than three decades, he was denied the right to vote because of several felony convictions and a prison sentence for armed robbery. But Lewis, who ...

Opinion: Why companies should hire formerly incarcerated workers like me

First posted in The Detroit News on August 31, 2022 I’ve been an information technology support specialist in Detroit for half a year now, and I consider myself lucky because I love my job helping other people solve problems. But it wasn’t easy getting here. As a formerly incarcerated man ...

Opinion: Why companies should hire formerly incarcerated workers like me

I’ve been an information technology support specialist in Detroit for half a year now, and I consider myself lucky because I love my job helping other people solve problems. But it wasn’t easy getting here.

Multiple organizations work to clean up flooded basements on Detroit’s east side

It happened over a year ago, but folks on Detroit’s east side still desperately need help cleaning out flooded basements. Thanks to a significant grant, workers were out in the neighborhood Thursday doing just that.

New grant to help homeowners clean up basement flood damage

At the top of the year, nonprofit neighborhood organization Jefferson East, Inc. (JEI) announced a new program that would help residents of the East Jefferson corridor repair, replace, and elevate furnaces damaged by basement flooding brought on by the rainstorms of 2021, a program bolstered by a $250,000 grant from ...

JEI Receives $125K to Support Flood-Related Basement Clean-Ups

Jefferson East, Inc. (JEI) and the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) have received a $125,000 grant from the McGregor Fund to support their partnership in providing emergency support for flooding-related basement clean-ups for low-income households in Detroit.

GreenLight Fund exceeds goal in 2nd round of fundraising for anti-poverty programs

GreenLight Fund Detroit, launched to bring to the region programs with proven success in lifting people out of poverty, has completed a second round of funding.

Members of Congress hear from justice-impacted individuals

At CEO, we have a vision that each person returning home from incarceration will have access to a quality job and economic mobility. Even though more than 600,000 individuals return home from incarceration each year, they are largely unable to access our country’s public workforce system and the support needed ...

Opinion: Little-known policy penalizes returning citizens training for new jobs

As more than 10,000 Michiganders prepare to rejoin their communities this year, they will face steeper barriers to rebuilding their lives because of a little-known policy that penalizes them for pursuing critical job skills and paid training that aligns with their career dreams.

SNAP offers critical support for returning citizens but improvements are needed

Isaac talks on a cell phone outside of a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training center in Detroit, Michigan, during his lunch break. Despite the cold weather, he insists that the fresh air is gladly welcomed. After being incarcerated for over four decades, he is taking the reentry process “day-by-day.” While ...

A Returning Citizen From Michigan Is Giving Back To His Community

Konrad was born and raised in the rough streets of Detroit, Michigan. As a promising student in school, he had hopes of one day attending college. However, due to an abusive father, he found himself homeless and living on the streets at age 13. This unfortunate and dangerous turn of ...

GreenLight Fund Detroit seeks second-round funding for efforts to improve lives of Detroiters in poverty

Boston-based GreenLight Fund announced its intent to come to Detroit in 2016 and made its first "investment" or grant of $600,000 in 2018 to New York-based Center for Employment Opportunities to bring its proven model for getting returning residents into jobs to Detroit. Since then, the group has employed 25 ...

Michigan to end ban on food stamps for people with drug convictions

Michiganders with two or more felony drug convictions will no longer be banned for life from receiving food stamps under a change in the state budget.

Center for Employment Opportunities Celebrates SNAP Reform in Passage of Budget

Nonprofits offer stimulus to Detroiters returning home from prison, jail during COVID-19

Nonprofits that help individuals re-enter society after incarceration are providing up to $2,250 to hundreds of Detroiters who need assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. The Center for Employment Opportunities, a national nonprofit with an office in Detroit, is spearheading the Returning Citizens Stimulus for formerly incarcerated people and others involved ...

Groups want Whitmer to end lifetime ban on food stamps for people with drug convictions

A coalition of organizations is calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders to end a longtime policy that permanently bans Michiganders from receiving food stamps if they have two or more felony drug convictions.Advocates argue the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services policy that disqualifies people from Supplemental ...

Michigan Must End Lifetime Ban on Food Assistance to Formerly Incarcerated Residents

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[PODCAST] Center for Employment Opportunities: Providing jobs as a launchpad

The Returning Citizens interviews CEO Detroit. Finding a job can be a daunting task for returning citizens for all types of reasons-- gaps in work experience, lack of resources, stigma, and so much more. In this episode, we sit down with a team that’s in the trenches every day, hitting ...