Ex-Offenders Given An Assist To Become Employed

Terri Roeber at an event, promoting AMF in the community.

Sometimes, just the right person moves to a city and begins to shake things up. That's true in Austin, Texas, where Terri Roeber decided to make her home back in 2007. From the beginning she has been involved with men, women, and youth with criminal backgrounds, starting as a probation officer, and then completing a training class to become a Certified Offender Workforce Development Specialist.

With a few others who had also completed certification, she co-founded AUSTIN M.O.V.E. FORWARD (AMF), a nonprofit which relies upon volunteers to help ex-offenders enter, or re-enter, the workforce; recover their dignity; and provide for their families. In return for the services provided, the individuals working with AMF are required to engage in community service, as a form of paying it forward.



Ms. Roeber discussed her organization, "This is not a hand-out, but a hand-up program." The program's clients are required to attend a Workforce Development Orientation before they can access anything else. At the orientation, clients enhance their interview skills in preparation for interviews with offender-friendly employers. They also learn about the community service component of the program.

Funds are raised via community fund-raiser events and those convert into the ability to assist more clients. Ms. Roeber sees it as a win-win, "It is not only about building a stronger economy, but a safer community." Not only that, but it also brings hope to those who have made mistakes and committed crimes, that they are capable of changing themselves, along with the circumstances in which their families live.

One other obvious way that AMF utilizes is to keep their clients informed, because it could be difficult to get hired when you don't know when various hiring events are scheduled. Clients can keep informed by checking the organization's social media sites, where they post hiring events and job fairs, with locations, times, and category of worker targeted. Various temporary or daily work agencies also get in touch with AMF, so that clients interested can begin working and receiving a paycheck when jobs are listed as available.

Some of the awareness information that AMF provides at community events.

The youth component of the program was launched in conjunction with The African American Youth Harvest Foundation and is known as B.E.A.C.O.N. Workforce Development Program. It is involved with providing job placement, job readiness training, career guidance, and life skills training.

One of the hiring events promoted by AMF.

In addition, the program addresses how youth manage such issues as their criminal history, transportation problems, lack of permanent housing, not enough food or clothing, and any other issue with which the youth are dealing.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/terri-roeber-austin-m-o-v-e-forward-motivating-offenders-to-value-employment-amf/; this article on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=165; this page on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=5; this article on AMF: http://www.austinmoveforward.org/?page_id=176; and the above link.