Jail to Jobs offers do-over to troubled youth

All of us have wanted a “do-over” at one time or another. We make mistakes and wish we could goback,changewhatwe did or said and not be penalized.

Jail to Jobs, a Cedar Parkbased nonprofit, gives such a chance to troubled youth and young adults ages 17 to 25 with a mentoring and workforce development program.

When Jail to Jobs started its prison ministry to youth and young adults in 2009, it consisted of Bible studies and mentoring. Eddie Franz, program director for the nonprofit, said volunteers saw real changes in behavior while people were incarcerated.

But when those youth got out, they went back to bad influences and bad choices. And, then back to jail.

For the good work that happened behind bars to take hold, Mr. Franz said the agency’s leaders decided “they needed to meet [youth] at the door when they got out.”

A challenge, though, was how to motivate people to get involved with Jail to Jobs on the outside. The truism “money talks” came into play.

Jail to Jobs started paying participants to make home décor signs, such as “Live, Love, Laugh” to be sold online. Participants got $10 to $15 an hour and volunteers got time needed to build genuine and lasting relationships.

From there, it has grown into a workforce development program that pairs paid staff — who have had their own problems with the law — with troubled youth and young adults. More than 150 clients are helped each year, said Mr. Franz.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet 21-year-old Eulalia “Lala” Kling, and 23-year-old Payton Wall at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.

They have come up through the Jail to Jobs’ ranks, first starting as workers and now serving as supervisors of their own crews.

Ms. Kling, who had a history of juvenile problems, said the program came along at the right time for her when she was working in a restaurant job she hated. She enjoys going to work now.

“Working with dogs is good for my mental health,” she said.

Mr. Wall, who was arrested and jailed for drug violations, lights up when talking about his previous work with the City of Round Rock’s transportation and parks and recreation departments and Georgetown Country Club.

Mr. Wall said his background allows him to “get down to their level and tell (youth) about my choices, why I made them and why they weren’t good.”

In addition to a paycheck and an opportunity to build skills, Jail to Jobs allows people to dream for the future. Mr. Wall wants to go into commercial fishing in Alaska. Ms. Kling wants to start her own business but is undecided what it will be.

Jail to Jobs is always looking for employers who need low-skill workers to do labor-intensive jobs, said Mr. Franz. Jail to Jobs will subcontract to place a crew that includes a supervisor and two to five workers at a worksite.

The benefit to employers is that Jail to Jobs handles all the hiring and human resources-related work, including moving workers to another site if they aren’t working out, said Mr. Franz.

For more information about Jail to Jobs, visit www.jailtojobs.com.