Community type
Medium-sized city and county; combined population of more than one million

Location
Portland, Oregon

Geographic region
Northwest

Partners
The Donald H. Londer Center; Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ); One-Stop Centers; Portland Community College; Worksystems, Inc. (local Workforce Development Board); Inverness Jail; community drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs.

Population served
Adults with criminal histories in need of adult basic education, GED preparation, and English literacy services. The majority of these adults lack high school diplomas and have very low-level literacy skills.

Lessons learned

• Offenders have complex needs that cannot be addressed by one agency alone. Collaboration allows partners to meet these needs.
  
  
• Partners play to their strengths by dividing the work according to expertise. For example, Portland Community College works with offenders with higher literacy skills and less risk to the community, while the Londer Center works with those having lower literacy skills and greater risk of re-offending.
  
  
• Partnerships within agencies can be just as important as those with other organizations. The Londer Center developed partnerships with other offices in DCJ, such as the Transitional Services Unit, to serve clients in a more timely and effective way.
  
  
• What makes the partnership work: a clear, shared mission; extensive professional development for all Londer and DCJ staff; committed staff; effective communication about client needs.

Partnership highlights

• During fiscal year 2003, nearly 600 offenders received services through the Londer Center. Research shows that this participation contributes to reduced arrest rates.
  
  
• Portland Community College helps offenders continue their education by paying for one semester of college for any graduate of Londer.
  
  
• Londer staff have worked with staff at drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs to establish joint referral processes, coordinate schedules, and share professional development.
  
  
• Londer staff worked to link Portland’s five parole/probation offices to its four One-Stop Centers, so parole/probation officers can learn about employment services for offenders and One-Stop staff can understand DCJ resources for offenders and the specific challenges offenders face as they reintegrate into the community.
  
  
• Londer collaborated with other DCJ staff and Worksystems, Inc. to establish a Resource Center modeled on the One-Stops within Inverness Jail, a medium-security facility.

Resources
Multnomah County Department of Community Justice; Oregon Department of Corrections; Worksystems, Inc.; U.S. Department of Justice grants; and in-kind contributions from Portland Community College.

Supplemental Materials
Jobs Now: Preparing for Employment Participant Workbook (PDF, 1.6mb)

Contact

Carole Scholl, Program Administrator
The Donald H. Londer Center for Learning
Mead Building,
421 SW 5th Avenue,
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 988-6828
carole.a.scholl@co.multnomah.or.us