Returning Citizens Launch New Careers with the Help from the Maryland Reentry Initiative - Workforce Development and Adult Learning

L to R: Mr. Mitchell (Case Manager); Mr. Foskey (Intern); Mr. Hotten (Intern); Ms. Redding (Reentry Navigator); Mr. Schwartz (President and Founder); Mr. Wayne (Auto Repair & Training Center Lead Instructor)

Mr. Hotten was discouraged. In spring of 2022 he had completed an 18-month sentence and home detention, and he was anxious to move forward in building a better future for himself. The first order of business was finding a job, but none of the many applications he submitted were considered because of his criminal record. Several months of unsuccessful job searching passed before Mr. Hotten learned about the Maryland Department of Labor’s Reentry Initiative program in January of 2023. When Reentry Navigator Tawanda Redding reached out to Mr. Hotten by phone, she encouraged him to register in Maryland’s state job bank, the Maryland Workforce Exchange (MWE). His negative response to the suggestion was a tip to Ms. Redding that he might need additional support to complete the online registration process. She invited him to meet with her in person the next day at the local library, where they could work together to enter his information in MWE.

Ms. Redding was on the way to the library appointment with Mr. Hotten when she spoke by phone to Mr. Foskey for the first time. Like Mr. Hotten, Mr. Foskey was facing employment barriers related to his criminal record. He had just been released from incarceration at the Eastern Correctional Institution after completing a three-and-a-half year sentence. Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist Cherice Johnson referred him to the Reentry Initiative for employment assistance. Since the library seemed to be a convenient location for Mr. Foskey, Ms. Redding invited him to join the meeting she was about to hold with Mr. Hotten to learn more about the services the Reentry Initiative could offer.

She was pleasantly surprised to find both gentlemen already waiting at the library when she arrived. After getting Mr. Hotten registered for MWE, she ran a Re-entry Workshop for the two men. Both expressed interest in participating in the Vehicles for Change Full Circle Auto Repair and Training Center program, which is designed to provide mechanic training to people with various employment obstacles, including justice involvement. Ms. Stanley assisted the gentlemen in completing the Vehicle for Change application process, and connected them with the program’s director.

The turnaround was fast! Mr. Hotten and Mr. Foskey were both accepted into the program by the end of January. According to Shawna Kearsley, Delmarva Program Director for Vehicles for Change, they are distinguishing themselves as high performers. Only four months into the program, they passed two of the three required Automotive Service Excellence certifications.

Their journey to employment continues to look bright. As of this writing, Mr. Hotten is working through the hiring process for a position with the State Highway Administration. Mr. Foskey is considering a role with Vehicles for Change as an assistant instructor.

For his part, Mr. Hotten feels that finding the Reentry Initiative and the Vehicles for Change opportunity transformed him from feeling hopeless to being in control of his future. He never imagined that he would have an opportunity to not only find a job, but an actual career. Mr. Foskey feels that he has finally been given a second chance to be the positive contributor to society he always knew he could be.

Seeing the positive and enduring impact their services have in the lives of people like Mr. Hotten and Mr. Foskey makes all of the effort worthwhile for Ms. Redding and Ms. Johnson. They gain great satisfaction from watching their customers overcome challenges to build new careers. This is a true testament to the power of Maryland’s workforce system to change lives.