FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Goodwill Receives Funding from Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Goodwill to Assist Incarcerated Native Hawaiians to Prepare For, Find and Retain Jobs

Honolulu, Hawaii (January 19, 2012)

In 2010, OHA released a report entitled “The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System” which found that Native Hawaiians are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to have their parole revoked and be returned to prison.  The report cites the lack of culturally appropriate re-entry services as one of the possible reasons that Hawaiians have a 41 percent parole revocation rate.

Goodwill received a one-year $50,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiians Affairs (OHA) to supplement its Job Connections programs in Honolulu and Hilo.  The grant from OHA will be used to assist Native Hawaiians who are incarcerated and participating in work furlough programs to prepare for and find employment that will assist them with reintegrating back into society.  Goodwill is uniquely suited to successfully implement such a program because of its proven experience providing similar services to incarcerated individuals through its Job Connections programs on Oahu and on Hawaii Island and to Native Hawaiians through its Home Ownership Assistance Program statewide.

Program participants will receive comprehensive intake and assessment and ten to twenty hours of Pre-Employment training which will cover such topics as resume and cover letter writing, job search, job application preparation, interview skills and computer and internet use.  Additionally, once a participant is placed into gainful employment, job retention counseling will continue for at least six months.

For more information on the program, contact Misti Pali at 946-9675.

Goodwill Industries of Hawaii’s mission is to help people with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient. Supported by its retail operations and financial endeavors, its educational, employment and training programs have provided skills training, employment counseling, job placement and support services since 1959.

Visit http://www.higoodwill.org for more information.  Subscribe to the Goodwill Works! email newsletter. Reach us at 836-WORK (9675), info@higoodwill.org, @GoodwillHawaii on Twitter, TheGoodwillHunter.com blog and Goodwill Industries of Hawaii on Facebook.

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Media Contact:
Amanda Stevens
(808) 836-0313
astevens@higoodwill.org