Community Vitality 2025 - John Howard Society of London and District

 

Community Vitality 2025

John Howard Society of London and District

A Fair Chance for a Sustainable Career Path

This is a collaborative project between:

Grant: $109,500 over 2 years

Grant Summary:  Many of the 4 million Canadians with criminal records face significant barriers to employment due to stigma, despite critical job shortages in many industries. Employment not only offers a sense of agency and belonging but also serves as a crucial protective factor against homelessness, addiction, and recidivism. This project will implement and evaluate a "fair chances" employment pipeline program over an 18-month period.

Left to right: Jessica Justrabo, Mary Ellen Matsui (Goodwill), Juli McGrenere (JHSLD), Shea Jackson (Goodwill), Taghrid Hussain, Mark Tutu (JHSLD)

The “Fair Chances Employment Pipeline Project” is a collaboration between the John Howard Society of London and District (JHSLD), John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO), and Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes (Goodwill), that helps individuals with criminal records overcome systemic barriers to employment and build sustainable career paths.

For Canadians with a criminal record, finding a job can be an uphill battle. Employment provides structure, purpose, and a sense of belonging, making it a key factor in successfully reintegrating a justice-involved individual into society. Despite this, a 2024 report by the John Howard Society of Ontario revealed that Canadian employers often exclude justice-involved individuals from consideration when reviewing candidates, including those who are qualified and ready to work. This lack of opportunity not only limits their potential but also increases the risk of homelessness, addiction, and reoffending.

The Fair Chances project, supported by a $109,500 Community Vitality grant, aims to change that. Over 18 months, JHSLD will identify 30 justice-involved individuals who are “job ready” and provide them with wraparound supports, including housing assistance, mental health services, and criminal justice support. These participants will then be referred to Goodwill for job readiness training, before being hired for meaningful roles within Goodwill’s London operations. This is a demonstration of Goodwill’s mission in action, transforming lives and communities through the power of work.

“JHSLD and Goodwill collectively bring decades of experience in delivering similar programs, ensuring the necessary capacity to successfully implement this program,” said JHSLD Executive Director Taghrid Hussain. “This partnership leverages the complementary strengths of JHSLD and Goodwill to provide integrated, client-focused support.”

The John Howard Society of Ontario will develop an evaluation plan that measures outcomes, such as employment rates, job retention, and satisfaction among both participants and Goodwill as the employer. If the pilot is successful, the program has the potential to be scaled locally and replicated further afield.

London Community Foundation’s Community Vitality grant will cover staff costs for the project as it aims to create a more equitable and compassionate community, where everyone has a fair chance of succeeding.

Full list of 2025 Community Vitality grant recipients:

 
Matthew Brewer