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April 20, 2003
Hand Up Not Handout
Charleston, South Carolina's got the right idea to combat the problem of deadbeat parents. It's called "Project Restore".
During the week, it's life-skills classes and training on construction sites; on Tuesday and Thursday nights, it's college classes; on Saturdays, it's work with Habitat for Humanity.
Project Restore pays the men $7 an hour or $224 a week. About three-quarters of these earnings go to their child-support debts. The men keep $8.50 a week, which isn't much, but it beats the $1-a-day they could earn working in jail. The rest of the men's earnings go toward paying for meals and other program costs.
Participants must abide by the rules. Stealing, substance abuse and unauthorized visitors are cause for dismissal.
The faith-based program, which is voluntary, lasts for 16 weeks. Successful participants are then eligible for jobs with the program's construction company, and if they stay with the company, can become part-owners. The program also has had a low recidivism rate...since 1997, only 15 out of 81 graduates have been re-arrested for nonpayment of support.
This is an excellent idea as it addresses the related problems of poor parenting skills and lack of marketable job skills. Obviously, it wouldn't work for everyone. But it would help a significant number of non-custodial parents (NCPs) that get caught in the Catch-22 of can't pay support for lack of a decent job and can't get a decent job because he or she's been incarcerated for not paying support.
And best of all, it re-establishes the relationship between the NCP and their children....which is what suffers most in these situations.
I wish there were more programs like this.
Posted by Rita at April 20, 2003 07:15 AM