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Inmate program changing lives, one class at a time
McCOOK, Neb. -- Prairie Gold Homes has yet to construct a modular home at its indoor construction-skills training facility in McCook, although, that might not be much of an indicator if you're looking to gauge the program's success since coming to town, according to officials.
The Lincoln-based inmate training program initially planned to construct modular homes inside the former Public Safety Center during poor weather and build new homes on infill-vacant lots when weather was more cooperative. Infill construction has since progressed as planned and the non-profit is nearly a third of the way completed with its second McCook home, while a lagging market for modular homes has all-but halted that aspect of the program.
Prairie Gold Homes Executive Director Renee Bauer and Assistant Executive Director Mark Wentz joined McCook police officers and area residents for a Coffee with a Cop meeting at the Bieroc Cafe Tuesday morning. Bauer isn't worried about the modular home market, her staff is accomplishing its goal, they're changing lives and at a minimum improving their graduates' chances at a successful future.
The State of Nebraska inmate recidivism rate typically falls in the 30 to 35 percent range, while only about 8 percent of Prairie Gold Homes graduates reoffend, according to Wentz. He said tracking the recidivism rate makes it easy for the training program to know when it's doing something right.
Over the years, PGH has developed relationships with a network of companies across the state that are willing to give convicted felons a second chance. Bauer said the construction industry is one of the few still hiring felons and it doesn't hurt that the work pays remarkable well.
In addition to receiving classroom and on-site construction training, participants receive a variety of job search assistance, including resume development, interview prep work and even interview transportation for inmates at the end of their sentence with work release privileges.
PGH graduates receive OSHA, first aid and CPR certification as well, which Wentz said is appealing to a lot of employers and essentially saves companies $500 in training.
Not all graduates end up with a desire to pursue a career in the construction industry and that's perfectly alright with Bauer and her staff. She said some capitalize on the job skill coaching and end up with careers in other industries, citing a recent graduate who accepted a position as a head line chef for a national restaurant chain.
The market for modular homes is on the decline right now and Wentz said it was making it difficult for the PGH facility in Lincoln to sell a modular produced seven months ago. He estimated demand had been decreasing for the past 24 months.
Site built homes, like the one being constructed by Prairie Gold Homes at 404 Apollo Street in McCook, have kept the training program busy, though. Bauer encouraged McCook residents to watch the framing of the house progress over the next 30 days.
"It should be fun to watch, [PGH instructor] Coby is one of our best framers," she said.
"Site built homes are a much more significant part of what we do right now and you can teach more skills there too," said Bauer. She estimated the Apollo home to be approaching 30 percent complete.
A project benefitting McCook Community College could be next on the inmate training program's radar. Bauer said the college is looking at remodeling a house it owns to accommodate nontraditional students enrolled in the paramedic program and having PGH head up the project was being considered.
Prairie Gold Homes has been outspoken about its intent to purchase as many of its construction materials from local vendors as possible, and McCook suppliers have made that increasingly easier on the program as time goes on, according to McCook PGH representative Dennis Berry.
"We're really happy with local vendors. They're beating Menard's prices, not just matching, beating and even offering site delivery," said Berry.
Finding subcontractors willing and able to work with the program was a challenge initially but has also seen improvement as familiarity increases. Subcontractors are asked to tutor PGH students as they go, when possible, an unusual circumstance for most any subcontractors but one that isn't without benefits, according to Berry. He said plumbers recently underestimated the benefit of having labor assistance from PGH students and bids were getting completed in half the anticipated time, leading to a one plumber telling Berry to make sure he was included on future bid opportunities.
Professional certification and licensing requirements, as well as safety regulations relating to incarcerated individuals, sometimes prevent students from assisting subcontractors but even watching them work can be a benefit to someone new to the construction business, explained Bauer.
"Our graduates consider us a resource," said Bauer, while recapping the variety of employment seeking services the program provided. At least one city leader indicated local law enforcement officers similarly viewed the Prairie Gold Homes program. McCook Chief of Police Isaac Brown praised the program, and similar inmate training efforts, for helping reduce recidivism. He said the expense to communities from career criminals prior to prosecution and incarceration was significant.
"These people are going to be out, back in their communities. Anything we can do to increase their chances of being successful is good," Chief Brown said.
Court and prison costs are really just the tip of the iceberg when you look at the cost to society from criminal activity, Brown added. He said studies showed most burglars committed approximately 20 crimes prior to prosecution and receiving a prison sentence.
"If we can keep them out of that cycle and into becoming productive human beings, it will benefit us on several fronts," said Chief Brown. Wentz indicated he agreed and said it was common for inmate families to end up receiving some kind of state assistance while a breadwinner was incarcerated.
The PGH program has received praise from economic development officials in recent months for helping alleviate what has been described previously as a critical housing shortage. Berry said Tuesday the housing and economic benefits were great, however, the real accomplishments of the inmate training program stem from the positive impact it has made on families, kids and communities.
"That's a big deal for me," he said.