Televerde Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides personal and professional development opportunities to currently and formerly incarcerated women so they can attain meaningful and rewarding careers upon release, officially announced the grand opening of the second Career PATHS and Reentry Workforce Development Center within the Arizona Department of Corrections Perryville in Goodyear, AZ. Expansion of the foundation’s program was made possible through a $1.1MM grant award from the Maricopa County Job Seekers Initiative to assist hundreds of justice-involved women in successfully re-entering the workforce and the community.

“The expansion of Televerde Foundation’s Career PATHS and Reentry Program in Arizona is a testament to the success we’ve had at reducing recidivism rates in the state since our inception in March 2020. Thanks to Maricopa County’s support and their ongoing commitment to reentry and rehabilitative efforts, we can bring our life-changing program to even more women at the Arizona Department of Corrections Perryville,” said Michelle Cirocco, executive director of Televerde Foundation. “Each year, our PATHS programs will provide over 300 women in Arizona with best practice models for reentry, education, job skills, and workplace readiness training. Each element of the program is designed to enable these women to realize their full potential; take care of themselves, their families, and their children; and never go back to prison.”

The Career PATHS Workforce Development Centers give women the skills needed to join the professional workforce, eliminating one of the largest barriers to success and stability for formerly incarcerated individuals when they return home. Career PATHS is a robust prison-to-workforce reentry program that provides end-to-end wrap-around services for currently and formerly incarcerated women. The program takes a holistic approach to the reentry experience, equipping participants with the hard and soft skills needed to rebuild their lives and careers after prison. The women who participate in this program are less than 12 months from their release dates and at a critical point to start preparing for reintegration back into the community. The foundation’s first Career PATHS Workforce Development Center opened in May 2021 inside the Arizona Department of Corrections Perryville. To date, 545 women have participated in the Foundation’s Career PATHS and Reentry program with 97 percent earning employment within 29 days of release with average starting salaries of $41,664.

“Thanks to a generous grant from the Maricopa County Job Seekers Initiative, Televerde’s new Career PATHS and Reentry Workforce Development Center will bolster the ongoing work being done at ASPC-Perryville. This grant will empower currently and formerly incarcerated women with the life skills, technical jobs skills, support, and opportunity they need to build a successful life upon release from our custody,” said ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell. “ADCRR is excited to see all of the successful personal transformations that will result from this new Center, and we want to thank everyone involved for bringing it to life at ASPC-Perryville.”

“We are committed to providing resources to help all members of our community, including justice-involved individuals, as they work to gain the education, skills, and experience that will lead them to success,” said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman, District 4. “When participants in the Career PATHS program leave incarceration, they are not only prepared with the skills they need, but they can see the opportunities ahead of them and have a plan for how they can move forward in life.”