LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A criminal record is no longer a roadblock to success for some young adults. A program in Louisville called REimage is offering a second chance to those who have been involved in the court system.
Jasmine Wilson, a participant in the program, has fought for the last few years against a minor legal problem that has been a major roadblock to the career she wants.
"As soon as they see it, hey pretty much say, 'Yeah, no, on to the next,'" Wilsons said. "I'm actually in diversion, so it shows up as a pending charge whenever my background is ran."
But last year, a friend's Facebook post gave her an alternate route.
"She was basically saying that she worked for REimage, and she wanted to help anybody between the ages of 16 and 24 who had a criminal history get back into the workforce," Wilsons said.
Michael Gritton, executive director of Kentuckiana Works, said a federal grant brought the program to Louisville. Metro Council provided funding to keep it around, and now a partnership with Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is helping to expand in December.
"We have helped hundreds of young people get on the right path, get a good job, get the skills they need to get a good job," Gritton said. "If you know a young adult who's between 16 and 24 and you think they're not on the right path, send them to us. We welcome them. We want to work with them and we know that we can get them on a more productive path."
Kentuckiana Works' Career Center is one of the first stops along that path.
"As soon as they begin in our programming, I meet with them to find out exactly where they're at," said Sara Roberts, a career coach at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky.
Roberts believes navigating the young adults to the right career path will help stop some of the vicious cycles being repeated in our city.
"This is a second chance," Wilson said.
Wilson is now a phlebotomist and said the REimage program gave her more than just a second chance.
"The program actually paid for my certification in phlebotomy," she said. "I was certified back in March."
City leaders believe the program is doing exactly what it was created to do.
"When we get a chance to work with those young adults, the repeat crime rate, the recidivism rate for our participants, is less than 10%," Gritton said. "So most of the young people we're working with, absolutely, we're getting them out of a life of crime and violence and onto a path that's way more constructive."
In December, officials with the city, Kentuckiana Works and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky will cut the ribbon on the new Chestnut Street location. To find out how to sign up for the program, click here.
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