Contact: Nicholle Granger
ngranger@voaches.org
November 28, 2022 Newport New, VA
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas (VOACC) is proud to announce that it has been awarded $750,000 a year for three years through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention to launch a Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program. As the newest component of VOACC’s Newport News YouthBuild workforce development program, the Second Chance program will provide wrap-around reentry services to youth returning from the Newport News Juvenile Detention Center (NNJDC).
"Keeping our young adults safe from harm, hurt, and danger is one of the most important things we do.”
Says Dan Carrera YouthBuild & Second Chances program director.
Through Second Chance, youth ages 10 to 20 years being served through the NNJDC’s Post Dispositional Program will have access to mental health services, substance use recovery, education and employment services, transitional housing resources and other social supports designed to place them on pathways to long-term success. Eligible candidates must meet the following criteria to enroll in the program:
- Be willing to participate and adhere to the program components
- Have not been committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) within the last 18 months
- Have not been previously or currently adjudicated of a violent juvenile felony or found guilty of a violent juvenile felony
Adding Second Chance to YouthBuild’s core service offerings supports VOACC’s mission to create Healthy Communities for All through the integration of housing, health and human services. YouthBuild provides at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 from low-income areas of Newport News the opportunity to earn money while they gain hands-on vocational training, academic skills training, industry-recognized certifications, and placement into in-demand careers.
Students who have also experienced trauma and violence can also benefit from the newly launched YouthBuild Peacekeepers program, the gun violence intervention and prevention component of YouthBuild that provides youth ages 10 to 20 mental health supports while equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to advocate against and help reduce youth gun violence in the community.
“VOACC is proud to supplement the work of YouthBuild by adding additional programs and services to address the needs and challenges of youths in the Newport News and Hampton area. Through the Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program, we hope to help facility positive youth reentry into their communities.”
Says Caprice Brown, VOACC Vice President, Virginia region & DC IDD programs
About Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas, Inc. (VOACC) is a faith-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower self-reliance and inspire hope. As a church without walls, we do this through personalized housing, ministry, health, and human services that benefit vulnerable individuals, their families and the community.
VOACC has more than 49 programs throughout Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and the Carolinas that provide homeless services, supportive housing, behavioral health, substance use recovery, intellectual/developmental disability services, veteran services, community re-entry and workforce development.
VOACC leverages over 800 staff members and more than 2,000 volunteers to support more than 10,400 individuals and families every year. For more information on VOACC, please visit www.voachesapeake.org.