Partners in Hope Paid Training Program
Community Warehouse: Partners in Hope Paid Training Program, Milwaukee, Wis.
- Sponsoring Organization: Community Warehouse
- City/State: Milwaukee, Wis.
- Grant Program: GrantsPlus
- Grant Amount: $100,000
Project Summary:
Founded in 2005, Community Warehouse is a faith-based organization dedicated to helping willing men, women, and families impacted by incarceration overcome social, economic, and criminal justice system barriers. Individuals released from incarceration often face significant barriers to reentering society, including difficulty finding employment, securing housing, and accessing social services. Many also struggle with mental health, addiction issues, and strained relationships with family and friends.
Community Warehouse’s two programs, Partners in Hope and the eight-week training program, help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully return to society. Partners in Hope is a robust one-week reintegration initiative. A cohort of 8-12 individuals participate in soft skills workshops and training on essential skills such as goal setting, time management, and financial literacy. They also learn how to find and keep a job, interact with their parole officers, build a resume, and face their fears.
After graduating from the Partners in Hope program, some participants lack work experience and have difficulty finding employment. To better prepare them, Community Warehouse offers them paid training at their home improvement stores during which they learn basic skills such as arriving on time and understanding and completing their assignments. They also learn the proper way to communicate with management and coworkers, and receive a certification for forklift operation.
“We Raise Foundation is proud to partner with Community Warehouse on their Partners in Hope Paid Training program,” said Paul Miles, President and CEO of We Raise Foundation. “Each person that seeks to find a better path for themselves deserves our best effort to help them achieve success. Community Warehouse invests in people because they know we are all more than the worst thing we’ve done. It is a privilege to support an organization and its leadership that invests in people and community.”
