blvd. | givers
Secondchance champion AS CERTAIN INDUSTRIES STRUGGLE TO FILL JOBS, A CHARLOTTE NONPROFIT IS POISED TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. by Cathy Martin photograph by Justin Driscoll
Delilah Montalvo, program director at CCT’s Center for Women, and CCT Executive Director Patrice Funderburk
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t the end of 2021, there were more job openings than unemployed workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While explanations vary, including a pandemic-related surge in early retirements, companies are more likely than ever to explore nontraditional sources to fill vacant roles. One Charlotte nonprofit could be part of the solution. For nearly 50 years, the Center for Community Transitions has helped individuals with criminal or conviction history obtain the skills they need to reenter the workforce. Before the pandemic, CCT served more than 1,200 people a year. In 2020, that figure was closer to 550, says Patrice Funderburk, executive director of CCT. Amid the tight labor market and with new “clean slate” state legislation in place, the organization is positioned to play a key role in helping fill vacant jobs. CCT traces its roots to the basement of First Presbyterian Church in uptown, where it was started in 1974 with the help of a VISTA federal anti-poverty program grant. Then called ECO, the program helped prepare men coming out of prisons to reenter society and the workforce. In the 1980s, the organization expanded as its leaders began to recognize the impact of incarceration on women and families. 46
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Today, CCT serves the community through three distinct programs. LifeWorks! offers career development, networking, softskills and other programs for individuals with criminal records and is based at the Goodwill Opportunity campus in west Charlotte. Families Doing Time serves children and other family members impacted by the economic instability of incarceration through school-based support groups, caregiver support and more. The Center for Women is a residential work-release program for women within three years of parole. The women’s center opened on Park Road in 1987 and moved to its current east Charlotte location in 2010. On a morning last fall, Halloween decorations adorn a covered patio where female residents relax or host visitors. Inside, double-occupancy rooms are reminiscent of college dorm housing — only much tidier. One resident cheerfully peels potatoes for dinner, while another is busy making tie-dye T-shirts. Others rush to and fro, heading out to catch the bus or light rail on their way to work. The center houses 30 women, who range in age from mid-20s to mid-60s. They’re not just from Charlotte: The center has served women from about 40 North Carolina counties, Funderburk says. The women, who must meet certain criteria to apply for the residen-
