Find an employer worth a closer look

Seattle, WA · Crews for facilities, grounds and public-space maintenance (social enterprise)

WELD Works helps people coming home prepare for work on Day 1 and connect to real employment pathways through training, support, and employer partnerships. ... WELD Works reports employing about 200 people each year in temporary working interviews, with over half moving into permanent employment. Community Impact Hiring WELD Works supports a stronger local workforce and creates employment pathways for people impacted by incarceration, homelessness, and substance use disorder.

Know this: Temporary crew jobs (transitional), mixed population (incarceration, homelessness, substance use). Clears the WA floor because it is documented employment, not a process statement. Undated page. Weld's homepage: "works with people returning home from prison".

Evidence:

Current published evidence

Checked:

September 29, 2026

Mark expires:

December 28, 2026

Madison, WI · bakery / food service training

All proceeds from Just Bakery sales are reinvested into the program and have allowed us to hire our graduates to work in the program both on the instructional and production side of the program.

Know this: Page is undated. The page describes the served population as 'justice involved' among several barrier categories (also homelessness, lack of education/work history), not exclusively criminal records, but justice involvement is explicitly named. This is the organization's own statement that it hires graduates, making it a genuine direct employer, not just a training program. serves people with several barriers ('homelessness, justice involved, lack of education...') and hires graduates; not every hire has a record.

Evidence:

Current published evidence

Checked:

September 25, 2026

Mark expires:

December 24, 2026

Milwaukee, WI · sports and entertainment

The Milwaukee Bucks launched our inaugural system impacted work experience rotational program in 2022. This first of its kind program partnered with Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center (CRC) to establish an employment program for system impacted individuals.

Know this: System impacted = people on work release from the county jail (CRC). Pay: Employ Milwaukee success story says participants earned a living wage. Page undated; mentions the 2025 season.

Evidence:

Current published evidence

Checked:

October 2, 2026

Mark expires:

December 31, 2026

Milwaukee, WI · nonprofit retail thrift / home improvement resale, with in-house reentry job training

are given the opportunity to receive job training by working in transitional jobs at our stores

Know this: Page describes the program company-wide but is undated; approximately 100 individuals graduate from PIH per year per the same page, not independently verified elsewhere; transitional jobs at the stores may be time-limited training placements rather than permanent hires.

Evidence:

Current published evidence

Checked:

September 24, 2026

Mark expires:

December 23, 2026

Huntington, WV · Workforce social enterprise (construction, agriculture, real estate)

The Workforce Readiness and Professional Success (WRAPS) program offers six months of paid, hands-on training alongside support addressing employment barriers like lack of vital documents, recovery, justice involvement, etc. Participants are hired employees until program graduation, when they take the next step in their careers, equipped with experience, skills promoting stability and wellbeing, and certifica

Know this: Paid transitional employment (six months, trainees are 'hired employees'), not a permanent job. Records are one of several named barriers (with recovery and missing documents), so this is a broader-barrier employer, like the Fortune Society ruling rather than Cara Chicago (which never named records). Boss call. Current trainee posting (Fort Gay) asks only for a drug test, no background-check bar stated. WV has no private floor. Caveat: a paid transitional job with a program around it, not a permanent job. ruling W2-1, Troy 2026-09-29.

Evidence:

Current published evidence

Checked:

September 29, 2026

Mark expires:

December 28, 2026