A new IowaWORKS event on Tuesday, Out of the Box Resource Fair, attracted people who need help reentering the workforce and society after justice-involved situations. The purpose was to connect those people with community resources to help them in their journey.

IowaWORKS Operations Manager Frank Sposeto said the fair was not just for previously incarcerated people, but even for people who lost a driver’s license.

“It’s a needed event,” he said. “One of the things people who are involved in the justice system run into is how to find work. There’s a lot of challenges they have to overcome. We have not tried something like this in years. It’s just bringing together different resources so we can educate and help these guys and gals figure out how to get back to work. They have done what they needed to do.”

Fifteen minutes into the two-hour event, Sposeto said he expected to see 100 people come in. He stressed that they are not just people in the residential facility. Any legal trouble can impact a person’s employment and life, he said.

“You could be someone who lost their license because of speeding and you’re trying to figure out what to do,” Sposeto said. “You didn’t go to prison for it. This event here could help you figure out the next steps, how to get your life going again. And that’s a couple thousand people in this four county area who have a need, in one way or another, that crossed the line, broke the law and they’re trying to figure out how it affects their work and life.”

The people who have been to prison or are living in the residential facility will require the most help. Sposeto said many of them only have six months to find employment, or else they are kicked out.

“If you’re new to Marshalltown, where do you go, what do you do?” he asked. “You don’t have a job or money saved up. How do you go home? You don’t.”

The previously incarcerated or residential facility residents face a huge challenge in finding employment, Sposeto said.

“There’s some of these gentlemen coming in every day, five days a week and they spend an hour or two looking for jobs or training,” he said. “If you’re a company and you’re saying you won’t hire somebody because they have a background, that is unfair. You don’t know who that person is. You don’t know the circumstances that put them there. These gentlemen immediately run into that blockade. A lot of these guys are really good men who are just looking for that opportunity to make a difference.”

For the companies who are worried about hiring such people, Sposeto said there are training programs and a federal bonding program to help companies mitigate risk. He compared it to a veteran who has returned home. There are similar resources for justice-involved individuals.

“These are great people,” he said. “They have done what they needed to do. They just need a chance.”

‘Definitely beneficial’

James Evans, 36, originally from Des Moines, was one of the fair attendees who was released from prison two weeks prior, and is looking for his chance.

“When I was 19, I was convicted of robbery in the first degree, and that carries a sentence of 25 years, 17 and a half which is mandatory,” he said.

Evans has been going to IowaWORKS during that time to fill out applications and take advantage of programs to aid in his job search.

“I have a number of interviews that are actually scheduled,” he said. “I’ve had a number of great interviews. This is definitely beneficial.”

One of the biggest adjustments Evans has had to make is technology. He said it has come a long way in 17 years. Evans remembers when a person could walk into a business, shake hands with a manager, fill out an application and get an interview.

“Now, with places you go to, they ask, ‘Did you fill out an online app?'” he said. “That was kind of new to me. I realize that IowaWORKS has become essential more than ever, especially for guys who are coming out of prison. Being in the residential facility, the opportunity to sit in front of a computer and fill out applications online – it’s not a real thing, but they make it available for us to come here. Coming here is the pinnacle of our existence until we actually get a job.”

According to Evans, some Marshalltown residents are wary of people who live in the residential facility. That wariness does present a challenge for him and makes employment more difficult to find.

“That and transportation are the only barriers I have experienced,” he said.

Evans is not limiting himself to any specific industry. He excels in welding and mechanic work but is also looking at fast food restaurants and managerial positions. Evans has Iowa Prison Industries experience with troubleshooting, taking machines apart, fixing and putting them back together. Despite the employment challenges, he has met a lot of great Marshalltown people in his two weeks outside of prison, including at some of the agencies.

IowaWORKS Business Engagement Consultant Michelle Roseburrough said representatives from a variety of entities providing resources were present — Center Associates, Marshalltown Area United Way, YSS, Iowa Legal Aid and ways for people to address child support.

“We also have people from the Marshalltown Residential Facility, and they cover a huge radius,” she said. “I think the next closest one is Cedar Rapids.”

Sposeto said bringing the resources together helps solve transportation issues. Many of the people who were helped do not drive, and would otherwise have to walk in the below-zero temperatures from one place to another.

“For them to hit all these agencies on a negative 10 degree day, they can’t do that,” he said. “It’s putting them with the people who have the answers and the information to help them get their life back on track. That is what this is about. We will have a job fair in three months. In the fall, we will take this event and include companies who will hire them.”

According to Sposeto, the resource fair has captured the attention of the Iowa Workforce Development in Des Moines, who might mimic the Marshalltown event.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.