JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For many people with a criminal record, finding a job after prison can feel nearly impossible. But one event in Jacksonville aims to change that.
The Second Chance Job Fair will be back on Tuesday to connect returning citizens with employers who are ready to give them an opportunity and a fresh start.
RELATED | 2nd Chance Job Fair in Jacksonville for veterans re-entering workforce, formerly incarcerated
This job fair is about more than just landing a job.
“Chance is a national initiative. It gives people who’ve had criminal backgrounds a chance for them to come back into society and to connect with employers. And usually, some of the people that come in are actually really good workers. They just need an opportunity,” Northside Community Involvement Executive Director Eva Hardrick said.
Hardrick organizes this event to bring employers and job seekers together in one place.
When people visit the job fair, they get to meet the hiring managers and see what positions are available.
Well-known companies like Family Dollar, Goodwill and Jacksonville Housing come looking to fill roles.
One organization helping individuals reenter society is Prisoners of Christ. It works with people who’ve served decades in prison—many sentenced to life as teens.
CEO Jeff Witt said these individuals are often more motivated than most.
“They are released often with court costs, restitution, probation costs, so they don’t have time to just sit back and rest and wait. They have to get to work,” Jeff Witt, CEO for Prisoners for Christ, said. “They want to work hard, want to move forward and really become self-sustaining and change their life and and the granted, that’s not every single person that comes out of prison, but that’s a large percentage of individuals who really just want to make a difference in change.”
Jeffrey Murphy is one of those people.
“Being at such a young age, when I became incarcerated, at 17, it wasn’t the way I had intended my life to go but it did, and so for the next 41 years,” Murphy said.
Reentering society wasn’t easy—especially finding a job. But after months of searching, Murphy finally got what he was looking for.
“Having a job allowed me to have more freedom because I had purpose. I had something to be responsible for,” Murphy said. “Having people that will believe in us to give us that opportunity is awesome. So, the job fair is definitely welcome. And I hope that it is repeated often, because I believe that if people would give us a chance, they would find that we would put our heart and soul into doing a good job.”
The job fair is open to anyone seeking employment, particularly those who’ve faced barriers in their professional journeys, including:
- Formerly incarcerated individuals
- People with gaps in their employment history
- Individuals looking to transition into new career fields
- Veterans reentering the civilian workforce
The fair will take place on April 15 at Northside Church of Christ at 4736 Avenue B in Jacksonville.