3 minute read
Helping Others Get a Second Chance
Melissa Plotkin | Executive Director, York County Reentry Coalition
BY MARLENA SCHUGT | PROGRAM MANAGER, BLOOM BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT CENTER
Melissa Plotkin has always had a heart for service and has served her community in various ways including volunteering in college, working at the Rape & Victim Assistance Center early in her career, and now as the Executive Director of the York County Reentry Coalition. Although she has only held the role for about a year and a half, Melissa has led the coalition through many successes including strengthening relationships between those who have been previously incarcerated, service providers, employers, non-profits, faith-based organizations and government entities; raising funds to jumpstart the community education committee initiatives, including crafting a resource video series and website; and holding a Reentry Simulation in partnership with the Franklin County Reentry Coalition to show those in the community truly how many barriers reentrants face in almost every aspect of their lives.
- Melissa Plotkin, Executive Director, York County Reentry Coalition
Another notable success for Melissa and the coalition was a recent Reentry Employer Roundtable discussion in partnership with the Manufacturer’s Association and the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center with the York County Economic Alliance for business and non-profit leaders, criminal justice advocates, and other partners. Amongst those who participated in the discussion, First Lady Frances Wolf shared her dedication to providing support to those who have been previously incarcerated as she highlighted Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed investment for women reentrants at the local level for the 2022-2023 state budget, the final budget provided $2 million for these critical reentry services.
In addition to these recent successes, Melissa and the York County Reentry Coalition play a key role in the Pathways to Prosperity Workforce Collective that seek to further the York County Economic Action Plan recommendation of providing the opportunity of second chance hiring to improve economic mobility of individuals and families impacted by prior records.
The coalition, in partnership with the Pathways Workforce Collective, work to bring together employers, resource providers, and government entities, such as the Department of Corrections, to increase access to and awareness of job, career, and training opportunities for reentrants. “Being a second-chance employer, speaks volumes…they help to destigmatize what reentry is all about,” Melissa says.
Not only do second-chance employers improve economic status of a previous incarcerated individual and their families, but Melissa shares that, “having a job, having a career, having purpose means a lot to individuals and someone who wants to get back on their feet. It means everything to have that.”
Are you a member of the community, employer, or an organization interested in learning more?
Find more information on how to volunteer or get involved with the York County Reentry Coalition at yorkreentry.org or on Facebook @YorkReentry.
