Winston-Salem Mayor’s Poverty Thought Force Supports “Ban the Box”
New Leaf Career Partners is joining alongside community partners including The Shalom Project, Green Street Methodist Church, and the Wake Forest Law School to promote adoption of “Ban the Box” in Forsyth County and the city of Winston-Salem. One important development during the month of February 2017 has been the publication of the report from the Mayor’s Poverty Thought Force. Under workforce development recommendations, the report promotes Ban the Box. Since the City Council will be encouraged to adopt the report’s recommendations, Ban the Box will automatically be on the agenda for the City. As supporters and advocates of ex-offenders, the members of New Leaf Career Partners are excited to see “Ban the Box” as part of the report:
http://www.povertythoughtforce.com/final-report/
Item 5 Under the Category of Workforce Development:
- Publicize/incentivize second-chance employment(Ban the Box) (5 impact; 10 combined)
Winston-Salem was an early adopter of second-chance employment (Ban the Box), but many eligible job candidates and employers are unaware. Public forums on Ban the Box, along with targeted public-service announcements, could be cornerstones for wider adoption locally.
The Mayor’s Poverty Thought Force also supports ‘Ban the Box’ as the practice pertains to housing applications. See discussion under the Housing category, Item #6 in the Final Report (see link above).