The Importance of Second Chance Hiring to Communities

Second chance employment is the practice of providing employment opportunities to individuals whose life circumstances or choices have placed them at a disadvantage in finding work. This typically means making jobs available to people in recovery from addiction or with past criminal justice involvement (or both).

While the individuals who get these employment opportunities benefit professionally, communities benefit greatly as well.

A higher employment rate (or lower unemployment rate, depending on your perspective) leads to lower poverty, lower crime, and lower homelessness - all good things for the community.

Additionally, welcoming people who have had past struggles back into the workforce creates tax-paying citizens, whose contributions can help provide services in the community, further increasing the benefits.

The alternative is that if not offered gainful employment, many of these potential second chance hires will return to making a living by committing new crimes, which creates new victims in the community.