(Washington, DC) On July 20, Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Chief of Staff Kelvin Robinson and other federal and local officials celebrated the grand opening of Project Empowerment Plus, a federally funded pilot program to aid serious and violent ex-offenders as they seek to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Funded by a $2 million grant from the US Department of Justice, Project Empowerment Plus is a collaboration among the city government, the federal Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) and a broad partnership network. Project Empowerment Plus is authorized to serve 205 individuals during its first year.
“This facility demonstrates in a very real way how the community has come together to determine how we can best assist ex-offenders as they rejoin the general public,” said Mayor Williams. “Our goal is to reduce recidivism, but it is also to make sure that these individuals receive the support they need in order to lead productive and meaningful lives.”
The advisory body for the initiative is the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Re-Entry Committee, whose members include local and federal officials. The committee established five goals for the initiative: prevent re-offending; enhance public safety; re-deploy and leverage existing community resources; assist the offender to avoid crime, engage in pro-social community activities, and meet family responsibilities; and ensure program sustainability.
“Employment opportunities for those returning from incarceration are essential to help offenders become productive citizens,” said Paul Quander, Jr., CSOSA director. “Project Empowerment Plus provides wrap-around services to holistically deal with problems confronting offenders and their families. The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency will provide a full-time Vocational Development Specialist to coordinate the work of this agency with existing city services. The assignment of a full-time CSOSA employee and the provision of an extensive array of existing services demonstrate CSOSA’s commitment to the success of the project.”