The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is collaborating with the Albany County Re-Entry Task Force and Trinity Alliance to encourage local residents, who were previously incarcerated, to enroll in a degree or certificate program at Hudson Valley Community College.
The county’s Re-Entry Opportunities and Orientation Toward Success (ROOTS) Program assists individuals who are on parole or probation with essential transitional services to help get their lives moving in the right direction and to avoid recidivism, according to Malcolm Thorpe, Re-Entry Coordinator at the Albany County Department of Mental Health. Thorpe is a 2004 Hudson Valley EOP graduate.
Every month, the ROOTS Program hosts a Welcome Home Orientation at the Trinity/Arbor Hill Community Center in Albany, where representatives from important community partners share their services with participants. Thorpe said having a higher education representative present each month is very important as many of the residents realize that a college degree or certificate program is invaluable for occupational and career opportunities. Thorpe said he appreciates the open enrollment mission of the community college, its accessibility and the cost. He also expressed his appreciation for EOP for the support services and financial aid, he received when he was a student.
“Our programs [ROOTS and EOP] have common goals,” he said. “To change the condition of people’s lives.”
For more information please call the EOP Office at (518) 629-7325.
Published: Thu, 28 Mar 2019 12:13:22 +0000 by l.coplin