Labor Grant Helps Veterans

27 Jul, 17

• in Veteran News

Re-entry into society after a lengthy prison sentence is always a difficult endeavor.

From problems finding a job to issues with living life without a strict schedule, there are a whole host of reasons as to why former inmates find it exceedingly difficult to lead a normal life after prison. The same holds true for veterans, which is a problem that a non-profit called Military Community Connection is hoping to assist South Carolina Veterans with.

If someone you know has been involved in and arrested for a crime, you’ll want to consider making use of bail bonds to facilitate the temporary release of the defendant until the trial takes place. The bail bonds process is a simple one that will save you a lot of frustration. One the defendant is taken to jail, a judge will set their bail amount, which is generally too high to pay without utilizing other options. A bail bond is a type of contract where you’re only required to pay 10 percent of the bail. The defendant can then be released, though you will be held accountable if they don’t appear at their later court date and will need to pay the full bail amount in this case.

Labor Grant Helps With Transition to Post-Prison Life

The Military Community Connection is a non-profit organization that’s helping veterans in South Carolina acclimate to life after leaving prison. Although the Military Community Connection has been doing this for quite some time, they are receiving a substantial boost in funding with a labor grant that’s being doled out over the next year. This grant offers $400,000 in funds dedicated solely towards this endeavor, allowing the non-profit to expand their current efforts and help much more South Carolina veterans than they had been.

The grant provided to Military Community Connection is designed to help homeless veterans get off the street and was given by the U.S. Department of Labor. Military Community Connection hopes that this money and their continued efforts will provide veterans who are transitioning to post-prison life with more stability. Most of their work is being administered at the MacDougall Correctional Institution, which is unique in that it’s outfitted with a special wing specifically for veterans. Since the grant has been administered to Military Community Connection, they’ve helped six inmates and hope that this number will expand to upwards of 100 by the end of 2017.

This money helps with a wide array of issues, such as helping post-prison veterans find a job, get rides to work, and even have a place to live that’s near enough to where they work. There are also a couple of additional organizations in Columbia that are receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, including Telamon Corp. and Fast Forward. Both of these companies are dedicated towards helping veterans find jobs once they leave prison.

Difficulties Most Have When Transitioning to Post-Prison Life

Many inmates have difficulties transitioning to post-prison life. These challenges are almost countless and derive primarily from the fact that daily life in the outside world is so different from life in a prison. While the best outcome is for the person to become a valuable member of society, upwards of two-thirds of inmates are arrested within three years of being released from prison, largely due to the fact that the changes of post-prison life are so difficult to become acclimated to.

One of the primary challenges is in finding a job, as it’s difficult for an inmate to maintain a decent livelihood without a job that will allow them to become a member of society. However, employers are oftentimes hesitant of hiring a former inmate and many of these inmates have received little to no education, making these difficulties even more burdensome. Changes within family situations and issues with obtaining social connections once released tend to cause further problems in post-prison life.

However, if a program such as this is effective at helping veterans transition to post-prison life, there’s a much higher chance that these grants will start to be considered in other states aside from South Carolina. So far, the results have been positive, which is definitely a good sign and something to keep a watch on in the coming years.
Di you read about businesses owned by vets