By Will Atwater
Getting re‑established is often an uphill struggle for people who are coming home from prison or were involved in the criminal justice system.
That was the experience of Candace Beverly, who was involved in the criminal justice system some 20 years ago.
“My crime was not one that warranted me serving time, even though it left me with a scarlet letter,” said Beverly, a 44-year-old Charlotte resident.
Beverly said people who’ve been involved in the criminal justice system often face employment challenges despite their best efforts.
Nationally, only about 37 percent of people released from prison manage to find a job within a year. In North Carolina, 41 percent of people found employment in their first year, according to 2023 data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
“When you make certain missteps in your life — and you learn from your experiences — far too often you’re not given a second chance at being a productive citizen,” Beverly said.
“As soon as they see that you were an offender, even though that was 20 years ago … now you’re deemed not worthy and you’re not given a chance, which for some people — luckily, I’m not one of those — they give up, they give in.”
For Beverly and nine other Charlotte-area people who were formerly incarcerated or were involved with the criminal justice system, the odds for success may be slightly better thanks to a new employment training program.
In May, Dream.Org, a nonprofit that “sits at the intersection of climate, criminal justice and tech,” launched a Green Reentry Incubator pilot in Charlotte to connect justice‑impacted people with clean‑energy jobs in solar, energy efficiency, EV infrastructure and green construction, said Jasmine Davenport, senior director of the organization’s Green For All program.
“Charlotte is a growing hub,” Davenport said. “There are so many opportunities we’re seeing within clean energy. If this infrastructure is indeed continuing to grow, we can’t leave out the individuals who are residents of the community and want to be able to write the next chapters of their lives.”
As Charlotte helps anchor North Carolina’s clean energy boom, with new grid and clean‑tech manufacturing projects bringing jobs to the region, the Green Reentry pilot is a test of whether that growth can also reach people coming home from prison.
‘Writing the next chapter’
To help participants take advantage of those opportunities, Dream.Org is teaming up with Charlotte‑area organizations to provide job training. The pilot project lasts for eight weeks and includes a mix of virtual and in‑person sessions.
Courses include “introductions to solar, the electric grid, electric vehicles and other green-economy topics, along with hands-on technical training,” according to information provided by the organization.
Beyond the classroom, the pilot offers wraparound support that organizers say is essential for people rebuilding their lives after incarceration. To that end, “we [offer] resume building workshops, finance, credit repair budgeting and budgeting courses,” said Dani Thomas, Dream.Org’s Green For All senior associate.
Beverly said Dream.Org’s support is more than a ticket into a growing industry; it is a way for people with records to “step into their highest abilities” instead of feeling ostracized for life. She believes that when people are given a real chance to work, contribute and feel proud of what they do, it becomes far less likely that they reoffend.
Research has documented the health — and mental health — benefits of working, too, such as access to health insurance and improved mental health. Some research points to extended life expectancy and greater stability.
Dream.Org’s Charlotte initiative comes as North Carolina engages with a broader wave of “fair chance” and reentry reforms. The state was one of the first states to sign on to Reentry 2030, a national initiative led by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Council of State Governments Justice Center and its partners. It calls on states to set bold goals for improving reentry outcomes — including a national target of reducing recidivism by 30 percent by 2030.
One of the four overarching goals in North Carolina’s Reentry 2030 strategic plan is to improve economic mobility for people leaving prison, in part by expanding education and apprenticeships during incarceration and finding more employers willing to hire people with criminal records.
Each year, national analyses still find that more than a quarter of formerly incarcerated people are unemployed and that nearly two‑thirds of people with records say they do not have quality jobs, according to Jobs for the Future’s Fair Chance to Advance initiative.
Against that backdrop, Gov. Josh Stein has argued that reentry programs are vital — for people coming home and for the state’s economy. “People leaving prison […] want a fresh start with their lives. They want a good job,” Stein said during his keynote remarks at the 2026 NC Rehabilitation and Reentry Conference last month. “Employers want talented and motivated workers, and we all want to live in a safer, stronger state with more people contributing to their fullest potential.”
Addressing energy burden, expanding opportunities
Everblue — a company that provides a weatherization assistance program — is one of the Charlotte-area organizations that Dream.Org is partnering with to help provide program participants with valuable job skills.
Through this course, participants are trained to conduct energy audits to “determine where the inefficiencies are,” said Chris Sullivan, Everblue’s project manager and head of the North Carolina Weatherization Assistance program.
Sullivan said the energy audits offered through the state’s weatherization program can be especially beneficial to low-income residents.
“For individuals that don’t have disposable income and they’re spending all their money on energy, [this program] takes the burden off of the grid, because if you help a home become more energy efficient, [it’s] not pulling as much energy off of the grid, which helps everybody.”
Tiffany Fant, founder of Sol Nation, one of Dream.Org’s Charlotte partners, said in an email that “the certifications [participants] will receive, along with the training and understanding about energy burden and environmental justice, will allow them to be competitive in a workforce everyone is just getting skilled in. As a community, I believe it is our job to help remove barriers so that everyone will have the ability to thrive.”
Research has also linked high energy cost burdens to worse health, including higher risks of respiratory problems, mental health conditions and tradeoffs with basics like food and medicine for low‑income households.
Building on Sullivan’s point, Thomas said the goal is to help participants lower their own energy use and bills while gaining nationally recognized certifications, such as Everblue’s Weatherization 101, that they can use to find better‑paying jobs in the green economy. Over the eight‑week program, participants build skills, earn certifications, expand their professional networks and leave feeling more rooted in their cohort, their community and the broader green sector.
Participants receive a $3,200 stipend, free training and a laptop, as well as additional support services.The eight-week program ends in June and culminates with a graduation ceremony.
“We received over 52 applications when we were only able to take 10 folks,” Thomas said.
The message to participants, she added, is “no matter who you are, no matter what your background is, no matter what your interests are, there is a place for you in the green economy.”
The post Second chances bloom in Charlotte’s clean‑energy boom appeared first on North Carolina Health News.
