For almost a year, Miguel Castañeda has supervised a crew of people tasked with clearing piles of trash and overgrown weeds collected on the sides of the freeways across the Inland Empire.
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He loves his job and interacting with his team on a daily basis, he said, especially since he didn’t expect to ever have the opportunity.
“I’m a former lifer,” Castañeda said, referring to a felony conviction that led to a life sentence. “Before, I used to be the ongoing problem, unfortunately, but now it’s still the way around.”
Castañeda is one of many formerly incarcerated residents who found employment with the help of the Inland Empire-based chapter of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).
The nonprofit, which operates in 30 cities across the country, is focused on reducing recidivism by offering short-term employment, coaching justice-impacted people as they apply for full-time work and providing other wraparound services.
Reggie Cooper, CEO’s regional director for social enterprise in Southern California said the support system was crucial for program participants, many of whom need both financial and emotional support.
“When you’re getting out, you are having a sense of disconnect sometimes,” Cooper said. “You need people that have been in this world who could support you and guide you into some of the ways that are going on right now.”
Castañeda said he heard about the program while he was still in prison. He reached out to the organization after struggling to find work once he was released in 2024. For months, he woke up at the crack of dawn to work as part of a clean-up crew before being given the additional responsibility of site supervisor.
Becoming a supervisor has allowed him to mentor other participants, he said, adding that it takes strength to ask for help and persistence to rebuild after incarceration.
“Programs like CEO don’t judge you,” Castañeda said as tears welled up in his eyes. “One of their values is they believe anybody deserves that chance to better themselves, not just for themselves [but for] their family and their community.”
The Center for Employment Opportunities’ Inland Empire office can be reached at referralsinlandempire@ceoworks.org and is located at 1777 Atlanta Ave SUITE G-1, Riverside, CA 92507.
Dispatches from Riverside County is a semi-regular feature where The Riverside Record highlights local businesses that make Riverside County what it is. If you know a business that you think should be featured, email publisher Alicia Ramirez at Alicia.Ramirez@RiversideRecord.org.
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