About Second Chance


Mission
 

Second Chance creates opportunities for people to transform their own lives by fostering behavioral changes that promote personal responsibility, healthy relationships and positive contributions to society. We do this through programs that provide job readiness and life skills training, job placement, mental health and prisoner re-entry services, relapse prevention and sober-living housing for adults and youth in need.

Value Statement: Second Chance CARES

  • Clients First: All programming begins from a position of respect for our clients’ needs.
  • Always Authentic: Our work is driven by knowledge of and empathy for our clients’ experiences.
  • Research Matters: We are committed to leveraging current research, evidence-based practices and assessing outcomes.
  • Employment is Key: Through improved self-esteem and personal responsibility, our clients gain employment and become positive contributors to society.
  • Systematic Approach: We conduct an integrated and systematic approach to fulfilling our mission.

Second Chance

  • Second Chance gets people off the streets and into the workforce to become contributing members of society, improving public health, safety and financial stability.
  • Second Chance carries out its mission by providing workforce readiness training and job placement programs, as well as wrap-around services, to youth (16-18 years old), adults, veterans, former substance abusers and formerly incarcerated persons.
  • Second Chance delivers workforce readiness training programs, supported by wrap-around services that include rehabilitation, housing, mental health and financial literacy, to get people off the streets and into the workforce.
  • Second Chance’s nationally known work readiness program develops appropriate workplace behavior, effective interviewing, job search techniques, and a positive outlook toward working and employment.
    • Three university-performed, independent studies demonstrate that each year, 70 percent of Second Chance graduates remain employed for at least two years after completing workforce training.
  • These life transformations mean a more stable community, a reduction in government costs, and a powerful response to the State of California’s prison realignment program.
  • Since our founding in 1993, Second Chance has graduated over 5,000 individuals who are now contributing members of society, earning wages and paying taxes.
  • Second Chance estimates that our 18 years of service has returned more than $400 million of avoided government costs for public services and more than $100 million in government payments in the form of state and federal income taxes from our graduates. This equates to a 1,000% return on investment.
  • The community can support Second Chance in any of the following ways:
    • Sponsor a workforce readiness training class
    • Offer our graduates employment opportunities
    • Volunteer on a committee
    • Host a Second Chance Friend-Raiser
    • Make a donation