Thanks to the Wells Fargo Foundation!

We are so grateful to the Wells Fargo Foundation for joining us in helping our local community cope with the COVID-19 crisis through their $175 million donation to nonprofits addressing food, shelter, small business, and housing needs. Their generous gift of $15,000 to Operation New Hope will help us to continue to serve the community by providing job training and assistance to people returning from incarceration helping to connect them with living-wage employment.

Securing a living wage job is the key for the formerly incarcerated reintegrating into their community. It reduces their reliance on state assistance by providing for themselves and for their families. It breaks the cycle of incarceration. However, there are many obstacles to finding a job for formerly incarcerated people. Prior to the pandemic, in June 2019, the Prison Policy Initiative calculated that the unemployment rate for the formerly incarcerated is 27% , compared to the then national rate of 3.7%. However, with unemployment numbers now surging to 1 in 5 American workers, the impact on formerly incarcerated is even greater now.

Thank you Wells Fargo for helping us help those who are home from incarceration and who are Ready4Work!