Community-based organizations (more than 25 as of the time the evaluation was published) offer STRIVE. Participants first attended a job-readiness training that covered interview techniques and helped develop participants’ soft skills, including the attitudes and behaviors necessary to be successful in the workplace. Participants who had been released from jail or prison within the last 24 hours (or within the last 72 hours if released on a Friday or traveling a significant distance) received housing.
After the job-readiness training, job specialists provided employment placement services, and participants could access computers to conduct their job search. The initial job-readiness training was provided for 40 hours per week for three to four weeks, depending on when participants entered the study. Participants could receive employment placement services and had access to the computer lab for the rest of their lives.
The program served formerly incarcerated individuals who were released from prison or jail within the past six months. Individuals who were convicted of arson or a sexual offense were restricted from participation.
Services that were evaluated were provided in southern California. The program was still active in multiple sites as of spring 2020 (see https://strive.org/ for more information).
Low
