The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that between 2021 and 2024, the workforce has fallen by around a million Americans. As a result, many employers cannot find sufficient staff, leading to ramifications such as overworked employees, unideal working conditions and a decrease in successful businesses. 

Second-chance hiring, when employers hire previously unemployed or incarcerated individuals, is a potential method to combat these ongoing staffing concerns. 

Jubilee Jobs is a D.C.-based non-profit dedicated to helping unemployed individuals find work. Started by Church of the Saviour members, the organization originated from Jubilee Housing, which addresses affordable housing concerns in the D.C. area. Terry Flood, the founder of Jubilee Jobs, created the organization during the 1981 recession. Individuals who received help from Jubilee Housing asked her to create an employment agency for low and semi-skilled workers. Individuals assisted by Jubilee Housing said their employment status was one of the leading causes of their inability to pay rent. The organization started small, with limited resources and a single job counselor. However, it eventually transitioned into a prominent institution in the D.C. community, helping 28,000 people find jobs as of 2022. 

Jubilee Jobs focuses heavily on assisting previously incarcerated individuals in finding employment. Coming out of prison with a criminal record can strongly limit possible job opportunities and the chance to become a respectable community member, but organizations like Jubilee Jobs give these individuals a better chance at succeeding. 

Rebecca Lovett, Jubilee Jobs’ Development and Communications Specialist, said that individuals coming out of prison benefit significantly from having a supportive organization and team that helps them reintegrate into their communities.

“When people are getting out of incarceration, it’s really important that they look for a job soon,” Lovett said. “It’s something that they can show to their parole officer to prove they are working really hard on reintegrating themselves.”

Bobby Barnes was among the first formerly incarcerated individuals to seek help from Jubilee Jobs. After briefly working as a housekeeper, Barnes came to the organization in 1990 to find a job. He was hired internally as a counselor to help others like him find employment. Jubilee Jobs helped Barnes build his career success by setting him up with an employment opportunity.

Jubilee Jobs makes the search for employment less worrisome for its clients by offering step-by-step instructions on how to obtain a job. The organization assists with resume drafting, interview preparation and job skill training.

Because of a referral to Jubilee Jobs from her addiction recovery program, Karimah has been employed at Safeway for a year. Jubilee Jobs provides useful resources and support to people looking for interview and application assistance, said Karimah.  

“With their help, I felt better about the workplace and more confident with myself,” Karimah said. 

A minimum wage job is a significant first step for a previously unemployed or incarcerated individual, but these jobs often do not provide a livable wage. Jubilee Jobs runs a certificate training and digital navigator program to give applicants the skills to move up in the workplace. These programs take the employment process one step further, helping prepare applicants for more sustainable, higher-achieving careers. The digital navigators program aims to help individuals combat issues with the digital gap and set participants up with resources for career success. It is primarily for younger participants, allowing them to earn national aid certificates and digital literacy. They then often return to the community to assist older individuals with such technology.

 Jubilee Jobs also has its “Resource Friday” program, where clients can pick up work equipment from their organization, including non-slip shoes and work outfits, as well as more professional clothing for interviews. These incentives all work to give applicants an extra boost in their path to career success. 

Lovett said Jubilee Jobs builds real connections with the people it supports. Every staff member is invested in their clients because they understand the importance of reinvention for people whose past doesn’t define them.

“Something that I learned here every single day,” Lovett said, “is no matter how different someone who walks through our doors is from me on paper, in every single way, the more you speak with someone, the more you realize how similar we all are.”