Open | Center for Employment Opportunities

Jonathan Calixto is joined by Samra Haider, the President of the Center For Employment Opportunities, to address the employment barriers facing individuals after their release from incarceration.

Opinion: Direct cash assistance can help drive down our state's prison population

Providing direct support to people returning from incarceration can provide them with greater economic stability and job security, helping to break the cycle of recidivism.

Mississippi urged to invest in jobs, not jails, to cut prison costs

This week, the Center for Employment Opportunities launched "At What Cost?" The campaign says redirecting funds from incarceration to job training could save taxpayers billions and reduce repeat offenses.

11 creative campaigns to know about today

In time for Fair Chance Month, the Center for Employment Opportunities’ latest campaign questions society’s current funding priorities by comparing the cost of incarcerating people in the U.S. versus investing in re-entry services that provide housing, employment and support for individuals returning from prison. “At What Cost?” features conversations with ...

Advocates push for passage of Reentry Assistance Bill to help formerly incarcerated people afford to rebuild

Advocates in New York for the formerly incarcerated are pushing for the passage of the Reentry Assistance Bill, which aims to provide more monetary support to people reentering society after being in prison.

Beyond the Gate: How Chris is Changing the Conversation on Reentry

The difference between a successful reentry after incarceration and a failed one often lies in the smallest of details: no money for the bus; can’t get work boots; lost birth certificate. These problems are big obstacles for returning citizens that often have no support system, and can be a catalyst ...

This New York Bill Aims to Give Monthly Payments to People Getting Out of Prison

Advocates say New York’s Reentry Assistance Bill will help lower recidivism among formerly incarcerated people and offer genuine aid

Starting With Nothing Is a Setup to Fail

Millions of Americans have entered a correctional facility only to leave months or years later with no money for food, clothes, or shelter. When Maria left Rikers Island seven years ago, she had nothing but the examples her grandma had given her growing up in gentrifying Brooklyn: be determined, put ...

Center for Employment Opportunities and NYS Building & Construction Trades Council Announce Collaboration on Grant from Governor Hochul's Office of Strategic Workforce Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Tiffany Elder [email protected] | (323) 793-7775 Center for Employment Opportunities and NYS Building & Construction Trades Council Announce Collaboration on Grant from Governor Hochul's Office of Strategic Workforce Development Buffalo, NY — The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), a leading nonprofit dedicated to supporting ...

Black History Month Business Spotlight: Raymond

Meet Raymond, the determined founder of Safety Above All LLC, a company dedicated to ensuring workplace safety in the construction industry. Starting his journey during a challenging 22-year prison term, Raymond envisioned a future where he could make a significant impact. Upon release, his first steps were facilitated by the ...

How Reentry Cash Changed Shamar’s Path

Shamar was raised by good women—from his great-grandma, the family matriarch, to his own mother—and he knows how important it is to respect and honor the women in his life. “When my mom passed away, I had to take care of my baby sister for a while,” said Stallworth. “I ...

Training New Yorkers for Good Paying Jobs of the Future: Governor Hochul Announces More Than $15.5 Million Awarded Through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Office of Strategic Workforce Development has awarded more than $15.5 million in additional grants to support five projects across Upstate New York. Funding will help CEO to expand its successful construction pre-apprenticeship training for justice-impacted New Yorkers, increasing capacity in Buffalo, and ...

Prince Shares Why Justice-Impacted Americans Must Vote

Feeling guilty and even a little ashamed, Prince showed his identification to the election poll worker, realizing this was his first time voting after leaving incarceration. Although he had voted previously in other elections, this one felt different. Witnessing so many efforts across the country to keep justice-impacted people from ...

Ozone Park cleanup initiative kicks off

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) and Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) met with the Center for Employment Opportunities last week to participate in its community cleanup initiative.

Proof That Hard Work Pays Off in the End, Despite a Background

When Junior M. first met State Senator Cooney (D-NY) in Rochester, New York last September during a site visit, the father of three was working for the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), beautifying the highways for the New York Department of Transportation and rebuilding his life as a formerly incarcerated ...

NY would pay ex-inmates $2,550 after prison under bill to aid transition, curb recidivism

New York could give former inmates up to $2,550 after they leave prison under a pending bill meant to help them pay for food and rent while they seek jobs and stability. Advocacy groups backing the bill plan to rally at the Capitol in Albany on Monday to push for ...

New York boosts post-prison support fund in ongoing recidivism reduction effort

CAPITAL REGION, NY (WRGB) — Oudahsa Gause of Albany knows what it means to start over. “Learning to re-adjust to the outside again, inside of prison you're closed in, so nothing matters; the biggest issues don't matter but coming home and trying to set up a whole life all over ...

Statement from CEO, Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), The Fortune Society, Osborne Association, and Fines & Fees Justice Center (FFJC) on the 2024-2025 New York State Budget Including an Increase in the Amount of Money People Leave Prison With

“We applaud Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for including an increase in ‘Gate Money’ in the 2024-2025 New York State Budget. By doing so, it is clear that they have heard us and agree that $40 is not enough, and New Yorkers ...

A Background Check Doesn’t Show Who You Are Today

Dion always had a job growing up in New York. Since starting work at the age of 13, Dion had been a golf caddy, a waiter, and a manager at his uncle’s drycleaning business. After completing his associate's degree, Dion was ready to set his sights on a more exciting ...

A New Way to Help New Yorkers Adjust to Life After Prison

Under a newly proposed bill by a former incarcerated state lawmaker, New Yorkers released from prison could receive $2,500 in direct cash payments over a year, if it becomes law.

Union Pathways Paving the Way for New Yorker’s Social and Economic Mobility

Each year, more than 500,000 individuals return to their communities from prison, seeking meaningful employment and the opportunity for economic mobility. Union-affiliated jobs represent an incredible opportunity for individuals returning home from incarceration to achieve economic mobility as the union often successfully advocates for higher wages and stronger worker protections ...

The Open Road: Terence’s Inspiring CDL Journey

In a world that often neglects people returning home from incarceration and trying to rebuild their life, the path toward employment can be challenging. Terence's journey shines as a beacon of hope for others facing similar, and what can seem like impossible, obstacles. With determination and the transitional support of ...

CM Joann Ariola leads effort to keep streets in southeast Queens clean

Council Member Joann Ariola aims to keep the streets clean in her southeast Queens district with the help of city agencies and an employment program looking to improve the area.

Pre-Apprenticeship Graduations for New York State

On December 13, 2023, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) celebrated two pre-apprenticeship graduations in both Buffalo and New York City. ​​The classes are pathways to high-paying union careers in construction free of cost to justice-impacted individuals. Buffalo Graduation: "The Fabulous Five" In collaboration with the Buffalo & Niagara County Building ...

Center for Employment Opportunities funding announced

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Senator Samra Brouk and Assemblymember Sarah Clarke announced $100,000 in funding for Rochester’s Center for Employment Opportunities office on Thursday.

Center for Employment Opportunities opens their doors for formerly incarcerated people

She says she continued to pay for her crime after she was released - that is until a parole officer told her about the Center for Employment Opportunities, or CEO.

“I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life.” Finding a calling after incarceration

Michael Holder credits the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) with helping him find his professional calling and achieve job security. CEO provides employment services including community support, job-readiness training, and job placement and retention assistance—to individuals recently released from incarceration.

A New Chapter: Sha-Ken's Advocacy Leads to Landmark Legislation

Sha-Ken recently realized a dream he never imagined was possible: he helped pass New York state legislation that will positively impact people with past justice-involvement like his. It’s been a journey for him to get to this point. Sha-Ken, who is from Brooklyn, first became involved with CEO several years ...

Buffalo Next: Uncovering talent in a tight job market

McClam was part of a recent Buffalo Niagara Partnership discussion about cultivating “hidden talent.” The speakers agreed that employers can find good people to hire, if they know where to look for them.

The Antidote to Street Crime​: Outsourcing, Employment, and the Recently Convicted

When I was a newly-minted Probation Officer in 1982 with the New York City Department of Probation in the Bronx, one of my first probationers was a middle-aged man who was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Firearm that he used to threaten his estranged wife with.

Episode 142: Dr. Genevieve Rimer and Samra Haider - Center for Employment Opportunities

Joshua B. Hoe talks to Dr. Genevieve Rimer and Samra Haider about CEO's commitment to reimagining America's criminal justice system. Listen Now!

Donations to the Center for Employment Opportunities Support People Returning from Prison

Everyone has the potential to build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Card rewards and other donations help the Center for Employment Opportunities give more people that chance.

The Unemployment Gap Between Black and White New Yorkers Is Widening

The gulf between Black and white unemployment rates in New York City is now the widest it has been this century, exceeding even the largest gap during the Great Recession, according to a new report.

Opinion: Background checks and blanket hiring exclusions don’t reduce risk – they limit opportunities

Hiring restrictions, including background checks, prevent qualified job applicants from securing employment. For a work-obsessed nation in the midst of a labor shortage, we still go to great lengths to prevent people with past criminal convictions who want to work from accessing a job.

The Power of Reentry: Returning Strong

At every turn, people returning to their communities after incarceration are told to be realistic, to do all they can, to be prepared for disappointment, and to set minimal expectations. But what if we could replace these lowered expectations with the equity and opportunity everyone should have access to? What ...

Activists vow to protect bail reform and close Rikers Island at Manhattan rally

On the last day of Black History Month, around 40 protestors gathered outside Governor Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office, demanding the governor lay off her proposed bail reform rollback. Simultaneously, they also called for the permanent closure of Rikers Island.

Black Resilience

Black History Month is a time to honor and celebrate Black resilience. Resilience is generally defined as “the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties.” This definition seems lacking. It does not fully encompass what I mean by Black resilience. Black resilience is more than fortitude in the face ...

Inclusive hiring: New LinkedIn partnership helps job seekers with criminal backgrounds

Genevieve Rimer's journey from incarceration to becoming a college-educated social worker illustrates that there is life after prison. And thanks to a new digital educational program that she’s leading at LinkedIn, Rimer hopes to prepare thousands of Americans with felony convictions for employment, a major step toward new opportunities and ...

Why I Teamed Up with LinkedIn to Create a Resource for Job-Seekers with a Criminal Record

Going to court while incarcerated is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences; you lie awake throughout the night because the anxiety of the unknown permeates your thoughts. Early in the morning, while the rest of the world is fast asleep, you hear your name through the loud intercom, and the ...

Truist Foundation Awards Center for Employment Opportunities $1M

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive employment services to people returning from jail or prison, has received a $1 million grant from Truist Foundation.

With reentry support like SNAP benefits, Rubin builds a “solid foundation”

Rubin moved to Albany, NY, from Brooklyn with his mother in 1985. He says he loves the seasons of upstate New York and he is grateful to be close to other family members, such as nieces and nephews he has watched grow up. "It's a beautiful feeling," he said. "I ...

Researchers Partner with CEO’s Participant Advisory Council to Learn How to Improve Feedback

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services and other supports to individuals who have recently returned home from incarceration. CEO believes that organizations that listen to their participants and incorporate their voices into program decisions are better able to provide accessible and effective services.

Meet Chris Watler, CEO's New Executive Vice President

I am thrilled to announce that Christopher Watler has been appointed to the newly created position of Executive Vice President (EVP) of CEO. This promotion is a recognition of Chris's leadership at CEO for over six years, along with some new responsibilities added to his portfolio.

This Winter the City Partners with RTS to Help with Snow Removal

Mayor Malik D. Evans recently said that a first-of-its-kind snow-removal partnership with Regional Transit Service (RTS) and Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), which will clear snow from 85 prioritized bus stop and shelter locations in the city of Rochester.

RTS and Center for Employment Opportunities partner for snow removal intiative

Mayor Evans announced a snow removal partnership between Regional Transit Service (RTS) and the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).

CEO’s Impact! 2022: What We Did Together

What an incredible year it’s been at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)! We are so grateful for your support. Check out CEO’s Impact! 2022 to learn more about what we achieved together this year: Connected 6700 people to paid employment opportunities. In April, CEO expanded into Pontiac, Michigan, and ...

Stacey channels his voice and passion into advocacy work

Stacey’s passion is spreading awareness and faith through music. He finds joy in expressing himself by laying lyrical gospel rap down over hip-hop classics. But his music is not the only thing he’s devoted to. Stacey is an advocacy fellow for the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). He says this ...

Google Offers Digital Skills Training to Thousands of Formerly Incarcerated Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Participants

CEO has integrated Grow With Google initiative into job readiness training to create economic mobility for participants in 31 cities across the country

Will you be an advocate for inclusive hiring at your workplace?

Inclusive hiring helps maximize access to talent for employers while ensuring that past convictions do not prevent qualified people from joining the workforce. It is easy to feel powerless with the constant stream of bad news in the world. However, a simple and meaningful way to make positive change in ...

More Than 3,000 Residents in Workforce Development Services Engaged Through Community Partnerships

The City of Rochester has selected nine partners in the local human-services sector to engage more than 3,000 residents in workforce development programming.

City & State 2022 Nonprofit Power 100

Nonprofit organizations play an invaluable and yet overlooked role in New York. These organizations, with rare exceptions, are led by idealistic executives who toil day after day to make New York a better place.

Mayor Evans Announces Partnerships for Workforce Development Services

Mayor Malik D. Evans announced today that the City has selected nine partners in the local human-services sector to engage more than 3,000 residents in workforce development programming.

Making time for leadership

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) recently held its September Leadership Retreat. Over 140 leaders from CEO’s 12 states and 30 offices converged on lower Manhattan in New York City. It was the first time we had all been together since before the pandemic. Over three days we celebrated, learned ...

Capital Region career fair helps formerly incarcerated individuals get on track

The Capital Region ReEntry Resource and Empowerment Fair isn’t a typical career fair. It's a fair and second chance for those in the criminal justice system.

Preventing reimprisonment of formerly incarcerated individuals starts with higher-paying jobs

First posted on NYN Media on August 3, 2022. Image credit: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Preventing reimprisonment of formerly incarcerated individuals starts with higher-paying jobs

The city should work with unions and re-entry providers to create work opportunities that facilitate and track long-term success.

New York Times: For People Just Leaving Prison, a Novel Kind of Support: Cash

Joining a raft of initiatives aimed at helping the formerly incarcerated, a program gives money to defray expenses they face, including court fines and rent.

CEO's Derick Bowers on the Lurie Daniel Favors Show

The Center for Employment Opportunities' Director of Social Enterprise Derick Bowers joins activist, attorney, and author Lurie Daniel Favors on SiriusXM to discuss the Returning Citizens Stimulus.

CEO Statement on Committee Passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022

How the Returning Citizen Stimulus and CEO Help the Formerly Incarcerated

CEO's Director of Social Enterprise Derick Bowers appeared on Roland Martin Unfiltered to discuss the Returning Citizen Stimulus and CEO's program model. (Clip begins at 1:21:43)

Employers Must Rethink How They Treat Talent With Criminal Record

Imagine what it is like to look for work with a past felony conviction. Every time you are applying for a job, the burden of your conviction weighs on you.

Employers must rethink how they treat talent with criminal record

This article was originally published on HR.com Imagine what it is like to look for work with a past felony conviction. Every time you are applying for a job, the burden of your conviction weighs on you. You worry about having to explain your conviction to a hiring manager -- ...

CEO Profile: A conversation with Chris Watler

This profile was originally published by the Legal Action CenterQ+A with Christopher Watler, Chief External Affairs Officer at CEO Can you describe CEO's work in supporting people directly impacted by the criminal legal system? CEO is the largest provider of transitional job opportunities for people returning to the community from ...

REVOKED: Just When Things Were Getting Better, I Lost My SNAP Benefits

Jefferson was only 17 years old when he left Rikers Island correctional facility. Upon his release, he lived in a homeless shelter with his children, a situation that lasted for nearly six months. Jefferson’s cousin, an independent contractor, would hire him for construction work whenever there were openings on his ...

How $24M in Cash Grants Provided a Lifeline for Returning Citizens During Pandemic

Photo by Elentir via Flickr

Meet Samra Haider, CEO's New President

We are pleased to announce that Samra Haider has been promoted to the newly created position of President at CEO. This promotion is a recognition of the leadership that Samra has displayed for many years, stewarding the organization through two strategic plans and growth into 12 states across the country ...

Innovative Cash Transfer Program Helped 10,000 Former Prisoners Meet Essential Expenses During Pandemic, Improving Their Feelings of Financial Stability

Nonprofit research organization MDRC released a new study today showing that the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) successfully implemented an ambitious cash transfer program, the Returning Citizens Stimulus, during the pandemic.

$24 Million Returning Citizens Stimulus from Center for Employment Opportunities Benefits Thousands Released From Prisons and Jails During COVID-19

I Had Patience, But More Importantly, I Had a Game Plan to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Ever since he was young, Terrance had always considered himself a business-savvy individual. Hoping to one day open his own customizable t-shirt shop, he set out to educate himself on how to run a small business. While incarcerated in upstate New York, Terrance enrolled in college courses, majoring in Entrepreneurship ...

Inspired by a Commitment to Community and Centering Impacted Voices

“A jail is a lockdown, but prison is a community,” says Charles, citing the work of famed prison reform advocate, penologist, and longtime warden of Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Lewis E. Lawes. Over the 40 years of his incarceration, Sing Sing was just one of the many institutions where Charles ...

Opinion: Key Fixes for New York’s Broken Parole System Await the Governor’s Signature

It wasn’t the eight months of military-style, intense shock incarceration that finally broke me; it was my parole officer. After my incarceration at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility for non-violent offenders in Brocton, New York, I quickly realized I was living in constant fear of reincarceration. My parole officer had ...

Key Fixes for New York’s Broken Parole System Await the Governor’s Signature

Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office

To Boost Hiring, New York Makes Case for a ‘Clean Slate’

For many Americans, criminal records stand as stubborn barriers to employment and housing. Several states are now advancing efforts to automatically seal and expunge those records.

Fair Chance Conversations: The Economics of Inclusive Hiring with Jeff Korzenik

Google Partners with Nonprofits on Skills Training for Formerly Incarcerated People

Google will join New York-based groups The Ladies of Hope Ministries, Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures and The Fortune Society to help improve job prospects for people with criminal records, a group that's unemployed at 5x the national average.

Benefits of Inclusive Hiring: Watch CEO’s Recent Corporate Roundtable

Draxel Shares the Life-changing Impact of the CEO Program

Jimmy Shares How the CEO Program Changed His Life

Charandip’s Journey: From Incarceration to a Union Job

“Without CEO’s training and job search support, I would not have the union job I currently do. Last year, I was living in a shelter and now I have the security of a good job, my own place, and even savings!”

Effectively Reaching Young Adult Job Seekers with Prior Justice Involvement

#MLKDay Series 2021: Ayanna Teesdale

Ayanna TeesdaleDirector of Payroll CEO New York City

#MLKDay Series 2021: Keito Gray

Keito GraySenior Manager, Bronx OperationsCEO New York City

#MLKDay Series 2021: Wallace St. Clair

Wallace St. ClairSenior Site SupervisorCEO New York City

BronxNet Discusses CEO's Program for the Formerly Incarcerated

OPEN Host Daren Jaime sits with the Communications Manager at the Center for Employment Opportunities, Jovanni Ortiz discussing how the program is providing employment services for recently incarcerated individuals.

Albany’s Center for Employment Opportunities Receives Support from Bank of America Grant

Putting Rochester First: Center for Employment Opportunities

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — News 8 is continuing a two month initiative with the United Way called Putting Rochester First where we put the spotlight on local organizations that need your help. Jessica Centeno from the Center of Employment Opportunities came into the studio to discuss how their organization is ...

United Way Wednesday: Center for Employment Opportunities

This week’s United Way Wednesday highlights the Center for Employment Opportunities in Rochester. Sarah Fletcher, site director, joined us to explain how the United Way is working with the center to provide people with tools needed to build a successful career and maintain financial stability.

The Positive Mind Radio Show Interview on Mental Health

The Positive Mind Show on 99.5FM in New York City spoke with Christopher Watler, CEO’s Chief External Affairs Officer and Alexandra Poolt, CEO’s Manager of Supportive Services regarding the organization's mental health initiatives.

CEO's Sr. Director Cynthia Brackett of Vocational Services on BronxNet Talks Bronx Open House & More

Senior Director Cynthia Brackett of Vocational Services for Center for Employment Opportunities (C.E.O.), joins Host Doctor Bob Lee on BronxNet for a look at their Bronx location, their work to provide employment, and their upcoming Bronx ribbon cutting.

Rochester's New Office Open House a Success!

CEO Rochester hosted a successful new office opening event on June 27, 2019 to formally introduce the new space to the community! It was a packed event with guest speakers that included The Monroe County District Attorney, Sandra Doorley, Monroe County Public Defender Director, Tim Donaher, City Councilmember Willie Lightfoot ...