New Workforce Development Program Offers Incarcerated Individuals the Chance to THRIVE

In the United States, the national rate of recidivism-the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend-is 67 percent. In Erie County, it's 80 percent. But for individuals who participate in the award-winning Project Blue, a preventive program that aims to reduce recidivism and local crime rates and disrupt the jail-to-prison pipeline, that rate drops to just 10 percent.

Recently, Buffalo State's Continuing Professional Studies Office (CPS) joined forces with Project Blue-a collaboration between the Erie County Sheriff's Office and Peaceprints of WNY-to launch a new program: Training in Hospitality for Returning Individuals are Valued Employees (THRIVE), which graduated its first cohort August 1.

CPS Director Kristin Fields connected with the Erie County Sheriff's Office when Erie County Sheriff John Garcia served as a guest speaker for the 2022 Leadership Buffalo program, in which she was participating. When Fields heard Garcia say his office was considering creating a culinary workforce development program, she saw an opportunity for collaboration, as CPS had previously conducted a similar program. Garcia connected Fields with Thomas Diina, chief of the Community Reintegration Division. After a year and a half of planning and securing a grant from the New York State Department of Labor, THRIVE was born.

THRIVE is open only to existing Project Blue clients, and selection is based on criteria such as behavior classification and release date. During the five-week program, Peaceprints of WNY provides job readiness training, while chef Don Schmitter, lecturer in Buffalo State's Hospitality and Tourism Department, visits the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden to provide culinary instruction in its commercial kitchen. Fields said there were challenges-such as how to teach knife skills in a facility where weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited-that Schmitter and the Correctional Facility staff worked together to navigate with great success.

"I have had the privilege of doing a lot of interesting things in my career as a chef, but this was different," Schmitter said. "The gentlemen that I trained in this program were attentive, passionate, grateful, and engaged. Sometimes people just need a second chance and someone to believe in them."

"Don builds rapport so quickly," Fields said. "He treats these participants no differently than he would treat his students here at Buffalo State. One of the deputies at the facility told us, 'I have never seen participation in a program like I have seen in this one. I have never seen them work together the way they did in this one.'"

Upon completion of the program, participants are ServSafe and TIPS-certified. THRIVE uses grant funding to provide participants with work-appropriate attire, so they're ready and able to apply for jobs. Project Blue clients also receive weekly case management services that continue for one year after release.

"The participants are getting great care once they're released," Fields said. "That's also why these programs are so important. They need a pathway, and it's great that we can be part of that pathway."

Another important component is THRIVE's employment partners: Catholic Health, Delaware North, Buffalo RiverWorks, and Seneca One. During the program, these partners met with the cohort via Zoom and shared information about open positions, workplace culture, and expectations. They also attended the graduation ceremony. In an article covering the ceremony released by the Erie County Sheriff's Office, Stephen Forman, regional executive chef for Delaware North Sportservice, said, "I [could] see these guys absolutely being in my kitchen."

"We are thrilled with the THRIVE program's success thus far and look forward to continuing this initiative with future cohorts," said Garcia. "Setting up incarcerated individuals for reentry will reduce recidivism and improve our community. That is why the Erie County Sheriff's Office continues to expand the award-winning Project Blue initiative with Peaceprints of WNY. We are ecstatic to have SUNY Buffalo State participating."

"Peaceprints is grounded in equity, opportunity, and second chances, and THRIVE is exactly that," added Lindsey Allen, Peaceprints of WNY's senior director of operations. "Providing this opportunity to our clients shows them that although their situation is different and unique, they still matter and deserve a chance to improve their lives. The services THRIVE and Project Blue provide go beyond learning skills in the kitchen. The environment and culture that has been created is changing the lives of our clients and their loved ones. We look forward to the continued success and partnership with Buffalo State."

Fields said that CPS and the Sheriff's Office are in the process of choosing dates for THRIVE's second cohort, which is scheduled to run in the fall. She emphasized the importance of continuing programs like THRIVE.

"Education doesn't always have to happen in a typical classroom," Fields said. "We're taking individuals who may have made a mistake and giving them an opportunity to be a productive citizen and member of their communities. This population carries a lot of stigma, bias, and stereotyping. If I could've bottled the positive energy coming from these people, I would have. There was so much hope."

Schmitter added, "I have confidence that these men are going to strive to be better people and excellent employees when they are released-for their families, their children, and themselves."

Photos by Christopher Horvatits, Erie County Sheriff's Office public information officer.