Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush has announced the Hamilton County Jail, the HCSO Chaplaincy Division and the TOWER Mentoring Program will hold a Job and Resource Fair on Friday, Sept. 13 for inmates who will be transitioning out of the jail in the next 90 days.
Quakenbush
“As part of the continuing effort to keep Hamilton County safe by reducing recidivism rates among the Hamilton County Jail’s inmate population, the TOWER Mentoring program is aimed at assisting inmates with addressing barriers to their success upon their transition back into the community,” said Sheriff Quakenbush.
The TOWER Mentoring program, led by program coordinator Kelly Gunn, is aimed at assisting inmates with addressing barriers to their success upon their transition back into the community. Inmates are assisted in securing housing and employment, as well as Gunn making the appropriate social service referrals for each participant. Participants in this program have shown the desire to break the cycle of incarceration and to change behaviors in order to successfully transition back into their homes and community.
Gunn
“Our goal is to provide support, guidance and appropriate referrals to our participants, and to ensure that they have an organized and solidified re-entry plan and strategy,” said Gunn. “In addition to the support during incarceration, our participants are paired with a mentor for additional support and accountability upon release.”
Sheriff Quakenbush said, “The mentoring program is funded by local donors and business owners in Hamilton County who are passionate about assisting others in changing their lives. Without these partnerships, this program would not be possible.”
The mentoring program is an ongoing partnership with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Chaplaincy Division. The mentors within the program come from the Chaplaincy division’s pool of vetted and trained volunteers. The mentors meet with their mentees several times within the jail prior to their release, in order to begin building rapport and discovering the mentee’s goals and needs. Upon release, the goal is that the mentee and mentor remain in active contact and relationship, so that the mentee has someone that they can seek accountability, support and encouragement from as they transition back into their community.
Employers and Social Service agencies from around Central Indiana will participate in the Job and Resource Fair, including Gaylor Electric, Custom Concrete, ID Castings, Metro Plastics, Burco Molding, Ginger’s Café, Mill Top Banquet and Conference Center, National Guard, SMC, Aspire, Third Phase, Good Samaritan Network, Progress House, Noblesville Twp. Trustee’s Office, Hamilton Co. Veteran’s Services, WorkOne and Ivy Tech.
Businesses and organizations interested in partnering with the TOWER Mentoring program can contact Kelly Gunn at kegunn32@gmail.com. The TOWER Mentoring Program and Hamilton County Jail plan to conduct future job and resource fairs to continue assisting the participants in successfully transitioning into our community upon release.