PONTIAC, Mich. – A new program in Pontiac is aimed at helping returning citizens get back into the workforce.
“I am living proof of it will work,” said William Lewis, who was released from prison in 2022 after serving nearly 22 years. “If you put the effort in, you get it out.”
The city of Pontiac, Main Street Pontiac, and Oakland County have partnered with the Center for Employment Opportunities on a program to help those formerly incarcerated transition into the workforce by cleaning up downtown Pontiac.
Lewis once participated in the Center for Employment Opportunities program; now, he works for them as a site supervisor.
He’s tasked with guiding the participants in the new program.
Pontiac Councilwoman Melanie Rutherford said she’s excited about the possibilities of this partnership.
“We have so many returning citizens in our community, and oftentimes they are ostracized, but organizations like CEO gives them an opportunity to have a second chance,” Rutherford said.
It’s not only good for the program participants, but also for the city in terms of making Pontiac more attractive for economic development.
“It’s a big drive to focus their eyes back on Pontiac and a big part of that is cleaning it up, spit shinning so it looks nice, and when they come through, they see it we care,” Lewis said.
With dozens of locations, including in Pontiac and Detroit, the Center for Employment Opportunities describes itself as the largest reentry employment provider in the country.
“Once they’re released, a lot of times they come home with nothing,” said CEO job developer Edward Galloway Jr. “So, what we do is we bring them in and help them find those resources for them and at the same time we helped to develop them for those jobs.”
The new program will serve about 50 people annually.
Lewis said he told the new participants he wanted to set them up for long-term employment success.
“You didn’t just come here to do this job. It’s about the job after this job, so stay focused on that, but just understand this is part of the process,” Lewis said.