Program that helps ex-offenders in Detroit avoids big budget cut

Oct. 1--A prison diversion and reentry program that helps at-risk Wayne County residents will see its state funding continue under Michigan's budget for the next fiscal year.

Flip the Script, a program of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, had been at risk of losing its primary funding source, $1.5 million earmarked for the program in the Michigan Department of Corrections$2 billion budget. Lawmakers reinstated the funding after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's 2020 budget recommendation earlier this year would have eliminated the program.

The state pays for roughly 270 men and women to participate in Flip the Script annually. The program includes GED instruction, counseling, job training, employment coaching and other reentry services.

Flip the Script began in 2003 and receives referrals from community organizations and Wayne County judges, serving a total of 1,300 people each year. Most participants live in Detroit.

While Flip the Script brings in federal grants and private donations, Daniel Varner, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, said the loss of state money would've dramatically reduced the size of the program. Flip the Script's total budget is typically between $2 million and $3 million, he said.

"Flip has been a program that has distinguished itself nationally in terms of outcomes," Varner said, "and to have lost a significant part of the programming that Flip does would've been devastating to our community and to the citizens that we serve."

The Department of Corrections has questioned Flip the Script's effectiveness and argued that the state can instead serve the population at a better cost to taxpayers. Department spokesman Chris Gautz said in July that officials think Goodwill should have to bid for funding like the agency's other partners.

Varner said Flip the Script helps a "challenging" population and saves taxpayer money by reducing recidivism.

Angie Jackson covers the challenges of formerly incarcerated citizens as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project.Contact Angie: ajackson@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow her on Twitter: @AngieJackson23

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