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One of the most difficult things about leaving prison is getting back on your feet and not ending up back in prison.\u00a0 <\/span>It is estimated that two-thirds of people released from prison in the U.S. are rearrested within three years.\u00a0 <\/span>After serving time, people are routinely discriminated against when trying to find housing or jobs.\u00a0 <\/span>They are denied fundamental rights and dignity.\u00a0 <\/span>In many states, after serving time for felonies, people are never again even allowed to vote or serve on juries.\u00a0 <\/span>The result is a devastating cycle of incarceration, homelessness, poverty, and recidivism.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Doe Fund\u2019s <\/span>Ready, Willing & Able <\/span>program is making a difference.\u00a0 <\/span>The motivating belief is that paid work and personal responsibility can turn lives around. \u00a0 <\/span>To enter the program, applicants must pledge to abstain from using drugs and alcohol, and forego entitlements (with the exception of Medicaid).\u00a0 <\/span>Once accepted, they move into a dormitory-style residences, receive a month of counseling, and then are put to full-time work starting at $7.40 an hour, which gets raised to $8.15 after six months.\u00a0 <\/span>First assignments are to cleaning crews working city streets (over 150 street miles in New York City and Philadelphia!).\u00a0 <\/span>All participants take classes in life and computer skills, job preparation, and financial management.\u00a0 <\/span>After three months, they move from cleaning streets to occupational training in fields that include culinary arts, green building maintenance, and pest control.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n