title
PROPOSED CONTRACT
Department(s): Cook County Justice Advisory Council
Vendor: Various, Chicago and South Holland, Illinois
1. Centers for New Horizons, Chicago, Illinois
2. Chicagoland Prison Outreach, South Holland, Illinois
3. Growing Home, Chicago, Illinois
4. IMAN - Inner City Muslim Action Network, Chicago, Illinois
5. OAI, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
6. Revolution Workshop, Chicago, Illinois
Request: Authorization for the Justice Advisory Council to enter into and execute
Good(s) or Service(s): Recidivism Reduction Services
Contract Value: Total of $1,200,000.00
1. Centers for New Horizons, $200,000.00
2. Chicagoland Prison Outreach, $200,00.00
3. Growing Home, $200,000.00
4. IMAN - Inner City Muslim Action Network, $200,000.00
5. OAI, Inc., $200,000.00
6. Revolution Workshop, $200,000.00
Contract period: 12/1/2020 - 11/30/2022
Potential Fiscal Year Budget Impact: FY 2021 $600,000.00, FY 2022 $600,000.00
Accounts: 11100.1499.33915.521313
Contract Number(s):
1. Centers for New Horizons, 1205-2002A
2. Chicagoland Prison Outreach, 1205-2002B
3. Growing Home, 1205-2002C
4. IMAN - Inner City Muslim Action Network, 1205-2002D
5. OAI, Inc., 1205-2002E
6. Revolution Workshop, 1205-2002F
Concurrences:
N/A
N/A
Summary:
The Justice Advisory Council is requesting authorization to enter into and execute contracts with six (6) community-based organizations. These contractors will provide recidivism reduction services.
Centers for New Horizons will provide “Rise!” a successful program serving 70 adults in the Grand Boulevard and Englewood communities who have been detained and/or are at risk of detention in the Cook County Jail. This program model began in 2018 and has shown great success in reducing recidivism. From the initial 62 enrollments in the program, only 1 participant has recidivated following enrollment while 36 have already joined the workforce. The program provides workforce services with intensive wrap around services and trauma based cognitive behavioral therapy to address history of trauma and violence, building resilience and providing supports.
Chicagoland Prison Outreach will provide vocational training to 75-85 individuals who have been incarcerated. Students receive job readiness, mentoring and life skills classes, as well as mental health services and trauma-informed counseling. Welding training (Arc/Mig/Tig) has been delivered with great success to CPO program participants for thirteen years, for residents of South Suburban communities and residents of Chicago south-side communities. Over 80% of program participants have gained employment after completion of the welding program.
Growing Home provides hands-on and classroom training in the Englewood community and other south and west side Chicago communities. Growing Home is been dedicated to supporting people with extreme barriers to employment, especially those with criminal backgrounds. The program includes an innovative 14-week transitional jobs program for 110 individuals which integrates three key activities-fieldwork on our organic farms, customized classroom instruction, and one-on-one case management-for a holistic approach to employment. The organization teaches transferable skills such as project management, effective communication, personal responsibility, leadership, and teamwork. Participants receive a wage for the hours they work and study. In 2019, 88% of Growing Home program participants completed the program, and 76% of these individuals found unsubsidized employment.
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) provides a Green ReEntry Program, including comprehensive training and services to 70 formerly incarcerated men and women of all ages, located in Chicago Lawn, Englewood, and surrounding neighborhoods. The program addresses behavioral health, life skills, job readiness, and training in key trades in the construction industry as a career option. It also includes needed
workshops on substance abuse, case management, and job placement. In addition, participants access long-term physical health and mental health counseling support through IMAN’s federally qualified health center.
OAI, Inc. will provide a Train-Expunge-Counsel-Hire (TECH) program to provide technical field employment and related services to individuals returned from incarceration to the Cook County Southland communities, particularly Robbins, Riverdale, Dolton, Calumet City, Harvey, Chicago Heights, Park Forest, Markham, Matteson, Country Club Hills, and Blue Island. Available supportive services include case management, career coaching, transportation, interviewing attire, uniforms, childcare assistance, testing and certification fees, drug testing, record expungement assistance, food, and other need-based services required to eliminate barriers to success. Technical training providers Governors State University and South Suburban College will up-skill participants with nationally recognized industry credentials and, along with Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation (CSEDC), will engage with employers to provide employment to graduates.
Revolution Workshop will serve seventy individuals from Chicago's west and south side communities with construction trades pre-apprenticeship skills training, job placement and retention, and supportive services such as housing, substance abuse and legal services, and medical services. Participants who are justice-involved receive tailored services to remove barriers to success, and construction industry relationships by this organization connect participants with job placement and union sponsorship. Revolution Workshop also seeks to reduce inequity in Chicago by providing 1-on-1 counseling focusing on solving immediate financial stability issues such as obtaining food stamps, Medicaid, child care, or transportation, and later resolves thorny issues, such as medical, student, and traffic debt.
These contracts were selected pursuant to Request for Proposals (RFP) 1205-2002, released in February 2020. The aforementioned vendors were selected based on the established evaluation criteria.
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