A new start: Florence organization aims to reduce recidivism in young adults

FLORENCE, S.C. ? Young adults involved with the justice system have a resource for help in Florence County.

The Dannon Project, by Pee Dee Healthy Start, helps people between the ages of 18 and 24 years old get back on their feet.

"Not all of our participants have served time in jail or prison," said career services coordinator Barvetta Singletary. "So that means if you've been brought in for questioning, if you've been issued a citation or ticket. ? We want to improve the quality of their lives here. For many of those individuals, that means getting gainfully employed."

The project started in 1999 in Birmingham, Alabama, by Jeh Jeh and Kerri Pruitt after Jeh Jeh Pruitt's brother was killed by a person recently released from prison on a nonviolent offense.

"Dannon was shot and killed by an offender who was released into the community and didn't have a support system and nothing to do upon his release," said Singletary. "They decided to start this program for participants who had some criminal involvement to enhance their life skills and enhance their employability."

The goal of the program is to reduce recidivism and crime rates by providing individuals with resources to become lawfully and sustainably employed.

Participants in the program receive help with a variety of challenges they face; whether it be obtaining a GED or high school diploma, transportation, court advocacy, government benefits enrollment and health care. They also must complete career training while in the program.

To achieve this, the project partners with a variety of organizations, including South Carolina Works, the state Department of Probation Parole and Pardon Service, and Florence-Darlington Technical College.

"Everyone who comes to us, they have to choose a career path; something to get certified in," Singletary said. "They have sort of a dual track, if you will, because they have requirements that they must complete within the project itself in addition to the requirements of whatever certification program they choose."

Singletary says that so far The Dannon Project in Florence, which started taking clients at the beginning of this month, has helped more than 40 ind ividuals and is looking to expand to Darlington and Marion counties.

"The great moments are when you see someone who has come into our program and they may not be in the best mental state because they can't find employment, and they go through the program, they acquire the skills, they acquire the certification and they end up getting placed and employed," Singletary said. "The pride that is instilled in that individual and the transformation that you see and the growth you see in those individuals is a tangible thing that we can point to."