Founded in 2011 in response to the Great Recession and the highest incarceration numbers in state history, EMERGE Connecticut^™ is a nonprofit social enterprise that assists formerly incarcerated people to successfully integrate back into their communities. Today, EMERGE Connecticut^™ continues to provide vital services in a time of heightened support for decarceration in Connecticut and has served over 300 people returning home.

Our Model

EMERGE Connecticut^™ operates a dual model that pairs paid work with trauma-informed support. We believe providing job placement to formerly incarcerated people without providing skills training, educational opportunities, and individualized support for emotional and mental health is ineffective and inequitable. Indeed, we have found relieving pressure placed on crewmembers to find employment allows them to take fuller advantage of supportive services. During their individualized journey, EMERGE crewmembers gain applied skills in areas such as construction, demolition, landscaping, green infrastructure, urban forestry, stormwater management, and property management—all industry-standard skillsets meant to rebuild their employment history—while simultaneously engaging in programs designed to help them heal.

As a result, 82% of EMERGE crewmembers who exited one year ago are still working and 85% of their peers in the year before that. And cumulatively since 2013, just 11% of EMERGE crewmembers returned to prison on a new conviction within two years of their enrollment, a major reduction from the over one-third of people nationally who are reincarcerated on a new conviction within two years of their release (BOJ 2021).

Eligibility

Individuals ages 18 years or older and living in the greater New Haven area who have been recently released from incarceration are eligible to apply. These individuals come to EMERGE Connecticut^™ through referrals from the courts, parole officers, community partners, word-of-mouth, and current crewmembers. Program participation is strictly voluntary.

The EMERGE Connecticut^™ Experience

Each EMERGE Connecticut^™ crewmember’s 6-9 month experience includes:

● An employability workshop, after which crewmembers earn their OSHA 10 Certificate (an industry safety certification for entry-level construction workers).

● On-the-job and classroom vocational training.

● “Real Talk,” a weekly peer-led group therapy session where all crewmembers and staff gather to process their work, life, and re-entry journeys together.

● Additional trauma-informed supportive services such as EMERGE Connecticut’s^™ Restorative Food Justice program, the ZOLA Wellness Experience grief curriculum, Financial Empowerment classes, Circle of Security parenting classes, individualized tutoring to support specific career goals, and one-on-one mentorship and coaching.

● Ongoing alumni mentorship and career support, as well as opportunities to return to the program if needed.

Why is EMERGE Connecticut^™ a “Social Enterprise”?

As an employment social enterprise, EMERGE Connecticut^™ annually generates 30-50% of its operating budget through hiring out our crewmembers as employees, which covers crewmember salaries and business-related expenses, with any profit invested back into support services. EMERGE Connecticut^™ maintains this “double bottom line” to place an equal emphasis on services and revenue generation — distinguishing it from other businesses, nonprofits, or government agencies.