Michigan Works of Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help jail inmates reenter society as they’re released.
Michigan Works Director of Offender Services Steve Vrablic tells us they’ll be working with the county jails in both Berrien and Van Buren counties to make sure those inmates about to be released have the things they need to get back on their feet.
“A lot of times, it’s just the essential stuff,” Vrablic said. “They need clothes for work. They need transportation to find a way to get back and forth to work. They need stable housing. They need vital documents like a driver’s license, Social Security cards, birth certificates.”
They also help the inmates with things like financial planning.
This is the second three-year grant Michigan Works has received for reentry services, and Vrablic says since the program started here, recidivism has been down.
“I think this is a great opportunity for the community to know that we are serving this population of folks and helping them get back on their feet and hopefully help them become productive members of society and try to get on with the rest of their lives after hitting this bump in the road.”
The Second Change grant coming to Michigan Works will allow the agency to create customized reentry plans and conduct case management with each inmate selected. Vrablic says the goal is to work with 200 inmates in the three years of the grant.
