“Our mission is to help connect all citizens with resources in our community, and we thought a resource fair would be an amazing way to help connect ... returning citizens with as many resources as possible,” Wagner said.
Wagner said people coming out of prison — especially those who were incarcerated for a long period of time — often struggle to reintegrate into the community.
“We’re oftentimes working with citizens that have been incarcerated for five years, 10 years, 15 years, so the community looks very different for those citizens now than it did back when they went in [to prison],” Wagner said.
Attendees could fill out applications for services and set up appointments to further address issues, Wagner said.
Rhonda Queen, a job developer for Clark County OhioMeansJobs who attended the fair, said the organization helps anyone who asks with assistance finding a job. She said it often works with returning citizens.
Queen said the organization works to place people in the right job fields. She said she found the resource fair beneficial because people respond better to face-to-face contact than reading a brochure or list of services.
Britney Bruce, nursing supervisor of the Sexual Health and Wellness Clinic at the Clark County Combined Health District, said she was there to share sexual health resources with attendees. Many of these resources have improved or otherwise changed in the time that some individuals have been incarcerated.
The clinic, for example, now offers point-of-care testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and that gives results in 30 minutes, Bruce said.
Bruce said the clinic has also expanded times that it offers for sexually transmitted diseases and infections testing.
Amber Lynn Daniels, CDL manager at the Ohio BMV, said at the fair the agency helped ex-offenders with license reinstatement plans and more. She said meeting face-to-face with people who were recently released from prison allows them to compile a checklist of things they need to do to ensure they are driving legally.
Daniels said knowing about license suspensions or other restrictions can prevent ex-offenders from further convictions or parole violations.
Trisha Benjamin, a lead worker at the Ohio BMV, said she’s seen the advantages of meeting recently released individuals in person and sharing resources in other events where she has participated.
“I think people like the one-on-one — the face-to-face,” Benjamin said.
More Fair Chance Wednesdays will be held on May 31, June 28 and July 26. Wagner said the Reentry Coalition will meet after the fairs have been held and determine how often to hold future events.
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