PHOENIX, Ariz. — In a partnership between The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and the Phoenix-based Arouet Foundation, paid transitional employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated women are set to expand as the organizations work to strengthen reentry support systems and increase long-term economic mobility through federally funded workforce development initiatives.
The collaboration, according to CEO, is part of “Opportunity 2030,” a long-term national initiative focused on expanding reentry infrastructure while improving access to employment and support services for justice-impacted individuals across the United States.
By expanding its operations from 12 to 20 states, the organization stated the initiative will lead to increased government investment in reentry programs. By 2030, the project is expected to reach more than 127,000 formerly incarcerated people.
Phoenix is expected to become a major site for workforce reentry innovation under the partnership with the Arouet Foundation, which CEO explained is an effort to stabilize funding for reentry services. The initiative also supports local organizations that work directly with formerly incarcerated populations.
“This is about more than a single program or funding stream,” said Genevieve Rimer, vice president of technical assistance and capacity building at CEO. Rimer, who is herself a formerly incarcerated woman, added that she knows “how fragmented reentry systems can be.”
Leaders of both organizations share personal histories within the justice system, with Brandy Smith, vice president of internal affairs and program operations at the Arouet Foundation, stating that “as someone who has lived this journey, I understand how important it is to have consistent, meaningful support.”
The Arouet Foundation’s programs, which focus heavily on supporting women before and after incarceration, include workforce training, health care navigation and long-term stabilization services. “Our goal is to work alongside partners like Arouet to build something more cohesive, where policy, funding, and services actually align to support women before release and long after they return home,” said Rimer.
In addition, CEO’s THRIVE Continuum model helps women prepare for employment and reintegrate into their communities following release by focusing on economic mobility and independence. Smith stated that “at Arouet, we’ve always focused on walking with women from incarceration through long-term independence.”
By utilizing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training initiative, known as SNAP E&T, the partnership can subsidize participant wages by expanding access to paid work-based learning opportunities. CEO added that SNAP E&T funding has already been used for more than 15 years to support transitional employment programs for formerly incarcerated individuals.
However, concerns continue to arise over shrinking social safety nets and cuts to funding streams that support people returning from incarceration. CEO stated that its strategy focuses on building partnerships with local nonprofits capable of sustaining long-term reentry support systems instead of only expanding its own services.
AI-powered job coaching services and workforce development strategies have also been added to the initiative’s design to address federal policy changes and improve coordination between public benefits and community-based service systems. CEO and Arouet emphasized that these efforts are intended to strengthen the overall reentry infrastructure in Phoenix, along with long-term outcomes for individuals returning from incarceration.
Overall, CEO and Arouet said the partnership is intended to serve as a model for expanding reentry support systems through collaboration between local organizations and national policy initiatives. The organizations emphasized that sustainable employment opportunities are integral to long-term community reintegration for formerly incarcerated women, which this initiative aims to achieve.
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