Scottie is a crew chief for READI Chicago. He supervises a small crew of participants during their subsidized work experience, spending the day with them, helping them practice cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills, and even working alongside them to set a positive example.

Crew chiefs are crucial to the READI Chicago work experience, but Scottie in particular is uniquely suited to this position—he used to be a participant himself.

Scottie began READI Chicago in March 2018 as a participant and said he gained invaluable skills throughout his 18 months of regular CBT and subsidized work. Scottie felt like READI Chicago was a support network—he received help getting his criminal record expunged and learning how to manage frustration and interpersonal conflict.

“I even used CBT the day I got the call that my cousin had been shot and killed,” Scottie said. “I was in that mode of wanting to go back to the streets and retaliate, but I knew that would only be hurting me more. I used the frustration CBT skill and caught myself brainstorming other ways to cope.”

While Scottie had gained an array of new work skills by the end of his 18 months, like many READI Chicago participants he was still facing barriers to unsubsidized employment. He was dealing with the losses of multiple friends and family members to gun violence, and his remaining criminal record made it difficult to find an employer to hire him for unsubsidized employment.

While the barriers made it difficult for Scottie to find work, they also made him a perfect candidate for Onboard Chicago, a new initiative of Heartland Alliance focused on working with employers to strengthen their approach to hiring and retaining workers who have been involved with the criminal justice system. Through Onboard Chicago, we are leveraging our experiences with READI Chicago and people who have been involved in the criminal justice system to work with employers to invest in this same population. In addition to working with employers to better support justice-involved workers, Onboard Chicago works with people like Scottie who are serious about working to polish their job skills and address lingering employment barriers.

After completing an intensive three-day Onboard Chicago seminar focused on addressing barriers and setting realistic, progressive career goals, Scottie interviewed for and was offered a position as a READI Chicago crew chief.

“Onboard Chicago motivated me to go for the position and really think about what I wanted to do long-term, instead of just rushing into something,” Scottie said. “I got a lot of support and mentorship out of Onboard Chicago—they really took their time to help us and make sure we wouldn’t end up back in the streets.”

While Onboard Chicago helped connect Scottie with economic opportunity, he is hoping to help others, demonstrating the cascading benefits to individuals and communities of unlocking the creative, professional, and human potential of the 70 million adult Americans with previous justice system involvement.

“I don’t want my kids to grow up how I grew up,” Scottie said. “The program helped me a lot to step up for them, and I want other people to see that for themselves. I’m doing this because I want to show other participants trying to change their lives that anything is possible when they finish READI.”