WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.273 >> UNITE INDY WAS FOUNDED FOUR YEARS AGO TO BRING VOLUNTEERS AND OTHER RESOURCES TOGETHER TO HELP THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY. 2 00:00:07.273 --> 00:00:11.978 THE ORGANIZATION HAS EXPANDED ITS MISSION TO HELPING CONNECT PEOPLE COMING OUT OF LONG-TERM INCARCERATION WITH EMPLOYERS 3 00:00:11.978 --> 00:00:22.555 WILLING TO OFFER A SECOND CHANCE. WITH MORE ON THE MISSION OF UNITE INDY AND SOME INTERESTING 4 00:00:22.555 --> 00:00:26.559 FINDINGS OF A JUST-RELEASED REPORT, I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME PRESIDENT AND CHIEF UNITY OFFICER JIM COTTERILL TO THE 5 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:31.164 SHOW. GREAT TO SEE YOU. >> NICE TO BE HERE. >> TALK ABOUT UNITE INDY. 6 00:00:31.164 --> 00:00:37.771 YOU STARTED FOUR YEARS AGO WITH THE INTENT TO REALLY HELP THOSE IN POVERTY, AND YOU'VE REALLY KIND OF EXPANDED OR NARROWED 7 00:00:37.771 --> 00:00:42.575 THAT MISSION HERE. TALK ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION. >> YEAH, YEAH, WELL, IN ORDER TO HELP PEOPLE IN POVERTY, WE 8 00:00:42.575 --> 00:00:48.248 THOUGHT THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT WAS TO BRING WORK TO THE TABLE, JOBS, JOBS THAT PAY A LIVING WAGE. 9 00:00:48.248 --> 00:00:55.121 AND IN DOING THAT, AND IN MEETING URBAN PASTORS AND OTHER FOLKS WHO ARE REAL INVOLVED IN THESE COMMUNITIES, WHAT WE 10 00:00:55.121 --> 00:01:03.229 LEARNED IS THAT PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE HARDEST TIME GETTING JOBS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED. 11 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:08.701 AND THROUGH A LONG STORY WHICH WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR, WE GOT INVOLVED KIND OF WITH THAT COMMUNITY, AND IT JUST -- WE'RE 12 00:01:08.701 --> 00:01:15.141 REALLY ZEROED IN ON IT NOW. WE'RE LASER-FOCUSED ON THAT POPULATION. >> AND THE NUMBER OF OFFENDERS 13 00:01:15.141 --> 00:01:20.613 COMING OUT OF INCARCERATION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, JUST SPECIFICALLY HERE IN MARION COUNTY, IS A BIG NUMBER. 14 00:01:20.613 --> 00:01:26.286 >> 12,000 A YEAR. >> WOW. >> IT'S ASTOUNDING. >> AND THEY FACE OBVIOUSLY BIG 15 00:01:26.286 --> 00:01:32.859 CHALLENGES IN OBTAINING WORK. I MENTIONED A REPORT THAT WAS RELEASED THIS WEEK, YOU WERE PART OF THAT REPORT. 16 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:38.097 HAD SOME INTERESTING FINDINGS. >> YEAH, YEAH, BUTLER UNIVERSITY'S LACY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS DID SOME RESEARCH THAT 17 00:01:38.097 --> 00:01:47.507 WE WERE ONE OF THE SPONSORS. ALONG WITH THE INTERNATIONAL WAREHOUSE LOGISTICS ASSOCIATION, AND A COMPANY CALLED THE LEGION 18 00:01:47.507 --> 00:01:53.213 STAFFING. WHAT IT TOLD US, IT'S KIND OF COUNTERINTUITIVE TO THE WAY MOST OF US THINK, AND I WOULD 19 00:01:53.213 --> 00:01:59.219 NORMALLY HAVE THOUGHT, WELL, IF SOMEBODY'S REALLY A SERIOUS OFFENDER, THAT'S NOT WHO I REALLY WANT WORKING WITH MY 20 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:04.591 STAFF, RIGHT, WHEN I WAS IN BUSINESS. AND THE STUDY SHOWED US EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. 21 00:02:04.591 --> 00:02:12.832 THE MORE SERIOUS THE OFFENSE, A FELONY VERSUS A MISDEMEANOR, THE BETTER PERFORMERS THE WORKERS ARE. 22 00:02:12.832 --> 00:02:17.237 >> AND THESE ARE SURVEYS OF COMPANIES WHO HAVE HIRED EXOFENDERS SO THEY'RE GIVING YOU THE SCOOP ON THAT. 23 00:02:17.237 --> 00:02:23.810 >> OH, YEAH. IT'S ACTUALLY FROM DATA, IT'S NOT FROM THEIR OPINION. IT'S FROM DATA IN THE EMPLOYMENT 24 00:02:23.810 --> 00:02:29.749 FOLDERS OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THOSE PEOPLE. HAVE THEY BEEN ADVANCED, HAVE THEY GOTTEN BETTER JOBS, DO THEY 25 00:02:29.749 --> 00:02:35.421 MAKE MORE MONEY NOW? THEIR OWN KIND OF MEASUREMENTS ARE CONSIDERED IN THERE. SO ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN DONE 26 00:02:35.421 --> 00:02:42.328 BEFORE THIS ARE JUST OPINION SURVEYS. THIS IS REAL HARD DATA. >> SO AS YOU LOOK AT THIS URBAN 27 00:02:42.328 --> 00:02:48.535 UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS, I THINK MANY PEOPLE DESCRIBE IT AS, YOUR EFFORTS WOULD SEEM TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO CONNECT A 28 00:02:48.535 --> 00:02:54.774 LOT OF PEOPLE WITH JOB OPPORTUNITIES. YOU'VE CONNECTED, I THINK BY WORD OF MOUTH WITH A NUMBER OF 29 00:02:54.774 --> 00:02:59.279 COMPANIES WHO'VE HIRED FOLKS. TALK ABOUT THAT PROCESS AND HOW YOU THINK IT CAN HAVE A REAL IMPACT. 30 00:02:59.279 --> 00:03:04.984 >> WE STARTED A WEBSITE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. WE CALLED IT SECONDCHANCEINDY.COM. 31 00:03:04.984 --> 00:03:09.556 AND WE WENT OUT TO RECRUIT EMPLOYERS WHO ARE WILLING TO OFFER A SECOND CHANCE. AND THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH, WE 32 00:03:09.556 --> 00:03:17.096 FOUND A NUMBER, 10, I THINK, MAYBE 12, SIGNED UP RIGHT AWAY, SO WE THOUGHT WELL, WE'LL START WITH THIS GROUP. 33 00:03:17.096 --> 00:03:23.336 AND WE DID THAT, AND WE GOT SOME PEOPLE TO GO TO THEM AND WE GOT JOBS FLOWING AND THINGS REALLY STARTED, AND JUST THROUGH WORD 34 00:03:23.336 --> 00:03:29.442 OF MOUTH, IT'S MORE THAN DOUBLED. IT'S ABOUT 25 NOW. AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THE STUDY TO 35 00:03:29.442 --> 00:03:34.814 SHOW THE RESULTS THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE WELL WORTH TAKING A CHANCE ON. >> YEAH, AND YOU THINK IT CAN 36 00:03:34.814 --> 00:03:42.055 GROW EXPONENTIALLY. AND FRONT END TRAINING I KNOW YOU THINK IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE EQUATION, RIGHT? 37 00:03:42.055 --> 00:03:48.161 >> YOU BET. IF YOU'RE COMING OUT OF INCARCERATION, IT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE THAN THE 38 00:03:48.161 --> 00:03:53.533 WORKPLACE CULTURE, RIGHT? SO FIRST OF ALL, YOU'VE GOT TO GO BACK TO THE BASICS AND LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY WERE 39 00:03:53.533 --> 00:03:58.671 DESIGNED TO WORK, THEY'RE MADE TO WORK, THERE'S DIGNITY IN WORK, WORK IS A GOOD THING, YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY THROUGH 40 00:03:58.671 --> 00:04:04.777 WORK, ALL THAT, AND THEN, OF COURSE, HOW TO WRITE A RESUME, HOW TO GO THROUGH AN INTERVIEW. WE TAKE EMPLOYERS RIGHT INTO THE 41 00:04:04.777 --> 00:04:09.449 CLASS. SO WE'LL BE IN THE MARION COUNTY JAIL CONDUCTING THESE CLASSES AND WE'LL BE TAKING EMPLOYERS IN 42 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:13.219 THERE WITH US. >> JIM COTTERILL, UNITE INDY, REALLY A GREAT PROGRAM.