Success Story

Workforce Development and Financial Independence

James is a 26-year-old father of three who had just been released from state prison on a felony charge. He had no job, no driver’s license, and no connection with his children or their mother since his incarceration. He arrived at the Newark Comprehensive Center for Fathers with substantial child support arrears, adrift in the world.

JANUS Solutions helped establish Comprehensive Centers for Fathers for people like James. The JANUS team first identified a model program for fathers emerging from incarceration or facing child support issues based in Philadelphia. JANUS Solutions then helped the parent organization bring this program to Newark and Camden County, making a great idea a reality in New Jersey.

Newark’s Comprehensive Center for Fathers offered James legal services to negotiate his arrears so that he could meet his financial obligations in a reasonable repayment schedule. They also helped him acquire a license so he could drive. Finally, they put him in touch with the Delta Alpha Delta (DADS) fraternity, and with the help of those peers, he set new life goals for himself.

Today, James is still involved with DADS, and plays a vital role in raising his kids. After extensive job training, he is now a manager of a repair parts warehouse, earning a living wage with decent benefits, so that he is able to care for his family.