The FDC (Florida Department of Corrections,) in partnership with Opportunities Industrialization Center of Broward County, Inc. (OIC) and other key community agencies, was awarded $450,000 from the US Department of Justice Prisoner Reentry Grant program for a pilot project to implement a comprehensive model for non-violent prisoner reentry to communities in Broward County, Florida. This initiative will reduce recidivism by identifying individual offender needs, providing targeted services and coordinating intense pre-release and post-release services that will assist offenders with their transition from prison to the community. This program will focus on pre-release planning and services that are individualized and comprehensive. The pre-release services will begin with individual needs assessments then focus the delivery of reentry services based on identified needs. These services include:

OIC in Broward, had earlier won a related grant from US Department of Labor to link released ex-offenders to local workforce services, job training and job placement in partnership with Workforce One, the local Regional Workforce Board and its One-Stop network. That activity is already under way. Next we are expecting HUD, the federal Housing and Urban Development agency to solicit grant proposals to provide housing assistance to the same population of ex-offenders in Broward county. This is a rare but commendable instance where 3 federal agencies planned their grant solicitations together to provide comprehensive workforce, transition preparation and housing assistance concentrated on a committed, well partnered community. The Broward partnership is one of very few nation-wide to have won the first 2 components and is now well positioned to compete for the final piece.