2021 COMBAT Funding: $99,914.40

In The Foundation's Own Words

$87 Billion Dollar Lost

Prior to COVID-19, the United States faced a historically tight labor market. The increased demand for workforce talent required innovative solutions and accessing recruitment pipelines across all populations. One of the most underutilized workforce pools across the nation are individuals who were formerly incarcerated. 

More than 19 million justice-involved individuals currently reside in communities throughout the country and face ongoing challenges related to employment, housing, transportation and food security, among other difficulties. Nearly 75 percent of returning citizens are unemployed more than a year after release from incarceration, costing the U.S. more than $87 billion dollars in lost GDP.

Employment Needs Of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

The KC Chamber Foundation addresses crime and recidivism by providing opportunities for economic mobility through the Workforce Opportunities for Returning Citizens (WORC) program. Over the course of 2020, the Chamber Foundation implemented a pilot program to begin to address employment needs for returning citizens and educate employers on the need for high impact jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and how these employees can benefit their businesses.

This initiative engaged local businesses and connected them with experienced non-profit organizations serving returning citizens in Jackson County in the hopes of offering quality career options. The approach encompassed a multi-stepped process, including providing employer education and raising awareness; helping  businesses learn about the justice system; introducing resources and sharing best practices; building an online resource portal for returning citizens, nonprofits and employers; and developing a regional fair chance hiring toolkit.

In 2021 the KC Chamber Foundation will continue to build upon the success of the initial WORC pilot program. The initial pilot recruited eight Kansas City area employers from different industries and identified six area non-profit agencies. In the next phase of the initiative the KC Chamber Foundation will promote success and opportunities to engage this talent pipeline among the more than 2,000 business member base of the KC Chamber. Staff will actively continue recruitment efforts to have businesses across a variety of sectors examine their hiring policies and work with non-profit partners to interview and employ formerly incarcerated individuals.

Employer Education & Building Resources

Employer education and building of resources will continue to be a focal point of the WORC program.

Through the Work Opportunities for Returning Citizens (W.O.R.C.) program’s education and awareness efforts the business community in the Kansas City region will have a greater recognition of a largely untapped labor pool in returning citizens. This will lead to developing inclusive hiring policies that allow for greater number of formerly incarcerated individuals to be employed in meaningful and impactful jobs that provide livable wages and benefits.

Employer understanding of community partners, such as high-performing local non-profits serving formerly incarcerated individuals, will lead to employer-driven trainings and job resources in hopes of decreasing job-readiness gaps, increasing employment rates of formerly incarcerated individuals, and decreasing overall violent crime and recidivism rate in Jackson County.