How employers save by hiring from your caseload.

July 29th 2013

Given the current economy, employers today are facing operational and financial worries. From overhead, to employment taxes, to the cost of hiring and training new employees, employers are actively seeking to bring down their cost of doing business. One of the most effective ways to lower a business budget is to cut down on labor costs. WOTC Solution markets to employers all over the country directly to teach them how to save on their tax liabilities. It's a simple solution--hire more!

Obtaining labor at a more cost effective rate by marketing WOTC eligible labor appeals directly to employers' bottom lines. This tax incentive can bring the cost of an hourly employee hired at $10.00/hour down to $7.00/hour at the most expensive time of employment. To calculate hourly labor cost savings with the WOTC credit CLICK HERE to use our labor savings calculator.

The ex-felon WOTC target category qualifiers are anyone within 12 months of conviction or release from supervision of a felony. That includes Probation, Parole, community release centers, federal and state institutions and halfway houses. These job seekers are WOTC- eligible candidates and are a great untapped resource of cost effective labor. By enrolling felony offenders at The Next Step, employers have the opportunity and access to money saving job candidates, up to $2400.00 per qualified employee, and can make smarter bottom line hiring decisions.

What are you waiting for? Enroll your caseload today!

Technology Update!

The Next Step is proud to share with you the latest technological advance for the Cooperative of Felon-Friendly Employers database. By using a customized  Geo-coding technology, CoFFE! can quickly and easily match candidates to potential employers based upon a travel radius (in miles) of any zip code! This opens the opportunity for candidates to choose how far they are able/willing to travel to find gainful employment. Please try out our new enrollment forms at The Next Step Enrollment.

Welcome U.S. Probation District of Arizona

July 15th 2013 

The Next Step is proud to introduce our newest participating member-- U.S. Probation District of Arizona!

Now all federal probationers in the state of Arizona will be afforded the opportunity to receive employer leads from CoFFE! our nationwide Cooperative of Felon-Friendly Employers.

During this exciting partnership with U.S. Probation District of Arizona, The Next Step will be actively expanding the CoFFE! employer and Job Candidate data base in Arizona. What does this mean for Arizona? All Residential Reentry Centers, Transitional Treatment Centers and releasing offenders from Correctional Institutions stand to benefit from our active relationships with thousands of employers who are willing to hire ex-offenders.

Call us today to learn more at 1-888-998-7227.

Obstacles During Reentry- A Potential Solution?

Source: Navigating The Hidden Obstacles to Ex-Offender Reentry

It comes as no shock to the reentry world that there are many obstacles ex-offenders face on their path to reintegration. From dramatic rates of incarceration to equally staggering numbers of releases each year, there is simply not enough specialization to adequately assist ex-offenders. Author and Law Professor Anthony C. Thompson recently expressed the hidden obstacles to offender reentry. In this unique approach he proposes utilizing the role of the public defender in a more holistic way.

Not only do ex-offenders face hurdles with housing and employment, they have social challenges, family issues and often substance abuse problems. It is from these "collateral consequences" that public defenders have opportunity to help."One possible way to reduce the chaos (during reentry)...would be to have one legal entity serve as the entry point for the offender. That office could then help map a strategy for the offender that might involve working with separate legal and social entities. The offender would thus have a point person from whom he or she could obtain some guidance in the process" (Thompson, pg. 292).

We believe that the best solution to this problem is simple. Employment. When ex-offenders are afforded the opportunity to find gainful employment, they have a greater chance of a full integration to society.With employment, ex-offenders can feel confident in being a productive member of society. They contribute to federal and state tax systems, as well as have the ability to provide for their family and get their affairs in order.

Happy Independence Day from TNS!

         Have a safe and happy holiday!

The Next Step offices will be closed  Thursday, July 4th and Friday, July 5th for the holiday and will reopen on Monday, July 8th.  

WOTC Verification

July 1st, 2013

One of the things we work diligently on at The Next Step is ensuring that the number one tool for assisting ex-offenders with finding employment opportunities is secure. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is an extremely valuable incentive to employers and enables employers to offer employment.

The letter below is a proposal to the Department of Labor to amend regulations to improve and expedite State WOTC Units processing of Federal ex-offenders.

Introducing The Next Step Blog!

July 1st, 2013

Welcome!

The Next Step (TNS) is proud to introduce our new blog! We invite everyone to subscribe including offenders, their families, and any person in the corrections, social work or reentry fields and  follow along. Please subscribe to start receiving weekly educational information.

The Next Step will offer a wide range of information including employment trends for ex-offenders, statistics, up-to-date legislation, and perspective on developments for the reentry continuum.

We encourage your suggestions for topics and look forward to your  feedback.

Sincerely,

TNS