After 15 years of work in the field of reentry workforce development, and 50 years of Safer Foundation renewing lives and changing communities, it is clear that people impacted by the criminal legal system have a tough time getting the support needed on their return home, which can prevent them from living meaningful and fulfilling lives. It is tough for any one organization or person to support this breadth of need. Collaboration is one of Safer’s core values and is a necessary element to achieve exceptional outcomes and forge strong partnerships – and is key to support returning citizens’ success. Collaborative work is important to me as it provides common understanding and goals across organizations. Collaboration enables stakeholders to bridge the gaps together, with resources, knowledge and services they excel at to move the field of work and quality of service for those returning forward.
How do you envision collaborative work improving our impact?
I envision collaborative work in reentry workforce development having an increasingly significant impact on improving outcomes for the justice involved in the following ways:
Sharing resources: Collaboration allows organizations to pool resources and expertise, which can lead to a more comprehensive and effective approach to reentry workforce development, and provision of a broader range of services to support individuals reentering society.
Building partnerships: Collaboration can help build partnerships between organizations that may have different areas of expertise or focus, such as partnerships between workforce development, legal aid, or housing organizations which can lead to more effective and holistic, human centered programming for individuals.
Coordinating services: Collaboration can help organizations better coordinate services, ensuring they work together to provide individuals access to a range of services, such as housing, healthcare, and education.
Increasing impact: By working together, organizations can leverage their collective resources and expertise to achieve greater outcomes in employment and well-being for reentering individuals.
Collaborative work in reentry workforce development can be a powerful strategy, galvanizing cross organization coordination, enabling provision of more comprehensive and effective services and support, multiplying impact leading to human centered and better outcomes for those we serve.
