An integrated reentry-to-career pipeline — NCCER-certified training, stable housing, and direct employer placement that transforms returning citizens into skilled trades professionals.
Experience homelessness post-release
Re-arrested within 5 years
Unfilled skilled trade jobs in the U.S.
Target recidivism rate with our model
The Problem
of returning citizens are rearrested within 10 years. The system recycles people instead of rehabilitating them. With stable employment, that number drops to 15%.
annual cost per incarcerated person — borne by taxpayers, with no return. Every dollar spent on reentry programs returns $3+ in reduced incarceration and increased tax revenue.
Only 2.3% of returning citizens receive real, credentialed training. The rest get certificates and a handshake — then nothing. No paycheck, no connections, no community.
Fragmented Services
Housing, training, mental health, and job placement operate in silos. Participants fall through the cracks every day.
No Housing Strategy
Released with nowhere to go — the #1 predictor of recidivism. No address means no job applications, no ID, no bank account.
500K+ Unfilled Trade Jobs
Skilled workers are retiring faster than they can be replaced. The labor shortage and the reentry crisis are two sides of the same coin.
70% Have No Work History
They get hired — then fired within weeks. No stable sleep, no transportation, no way to show up consistently.
82%
Rearrested in 10 Yrs
2.3%
Only Get Real Training
70%
No Work History
5,700
Per 100K Homeless
Our Solution
A seamless continuum that starts inside the correctional facility and extends through housing, credentialed training, employer placement, and lifetime career support — all under one roof, with one team, and one mission.
FIU instructors deliver NCCER curriculum inside the facility. Training begins 1 year before release with 90-day behavioral readiness assessment.
18-room campus with structure, brotherhood, and stability. Elite Housing First Model — because you can't build a career without a place to sleep.
NCCER-certified training in Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Welding, Carpentry, and Advanced Manufacturing. Real certifications. Real skills. Real careers.
Direct employer placement at $30K–$60K+ annually. 90% placement rate within 6 months. Lifetime alumni support and career coaching.
NCCER-Certified Training Disciplines
"The question isn't whether we can afford to solve this. It's whether we can afford not to. For every returning citizen we fail, we pay $70K+ per year — forever. For every one we train, we gain a taxpayer, a provider, and a citizen."
Projected Impact
Without Integrated Support
With the TradeWorks Pipeline
Target 40% reduction in re-offense through stable employment and structured support within the first year post-release.
Achieve 85% housing retention at 12 months by integrating employment support with the Elite Housing First Model.
Job placement within 6 months of program completion. NCCER-certified graduates enter at $30K–$60K+ annually.
Improve first-quarter retention by 60% through wraparound support, reducing costly employer turnover cycles.
Every $1 invested returns $3+ in reduced incarceration costs, tax revenue, and decreased public assistance.
Address 500,000+ unfilled construction jobs with a reliable pipeline of trained, work-ready skilled trades employees.
With stable employment, recidivism drops to 15%.
Without it — it rises to 38%.
That's the difference an integrated model makes.
Partnership
Lead Applicant · Program Operator
The nation's premier live-work training academy. NCCER-certified curriculum powered by FIU. Proven model with 95% retention, 90% job placement, and <15% attrition — compared to 50%+ industry average.
Co-Applicant · Supportive Services
Comprehensive wraparound services including mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, case management, and reentry navigation. Ensuring every participant has the support to succeed.
Academic Partner · Curriculum Provider
NCCER-accredited curriculum development and delivery. FIU's Lennar Foundation Career Training Academy provides the gold standard in construction trades education.
Attrition Rate
Retention Rate
Job Placement
Avg Starting Wage
Turnover Rate
Ready to Work
The Ask
TradeWorks Academy and the Center for Social Change are seeking HUD Continuum of Care funding to operationalize an integrated reentry-to-career pipeline that transforms returning citizens into skilled trades professionals — breaking the cycle of recidivism, filling critical labor shortages, and restoring families.
Proven model with measurable outcomes and 3:1 social ROI
NCCER-accredited curriculum delivered by FIU faculty
Integrated housing + training + employment + lifetime support
Coalition of workforce agencies, behavioral health providers, and employer partners
Program Contacts
Center for Social Change
Co-Applicant · Supportive Services
FIU Lennar Foundation
Academic Partner · NCCER Curriculum
Funded in Part By
