Kane County Jail Diversion Programs offered to the public
When Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain took office in December 2018, implementing vocational training and connections inside of the county's correctional facility was a top priority.
A new team worked quickly to bring soft skills, interview, small business planning, OSHA/forklift, and painting training into the jail, along with job fairs to support those re-entering the community.
Sheriff Hain believes it is the responsibility of men and women in uniform to provide structured support to low income and re-entering citizens to build strong relations with communities who often feel alienated by police and government.
The next important step was to turn those jail programs outward into the community to lend a hand to people struggling to find work after incarceration.
Shortly before COVID-19 struck, the Sheriff's Diversion team was working with local colleges to host these programs that offers eligibility to all members of our community.
With the unfortunate shutdown of many establishments during the pandemic, a serious delay in these services was created.
On Aug. 14, the Sheriff's Diversion Program Administrative Director Judy Dawson and Sheriff Ron Hain hosted a forklift certification and employment connection course at the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
The class was limited to 15 people and sold out before the event. Thirteen students came to the course. All 13 were certified and connected to jobs that day.
Sheriff Hain is proud to announce the opening of a second course from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at the Sheriff's Office.
The event will be posted on the home page of kanesheriff.com and on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page for registration. A non-refundable registration of $50 is required by noon Sept. 22. The remaining balance of $100 will be due at the time of the class. Or pay the full $150 directly through the Eventbrite portal.
Instruction will be provided and billed to each student directly by OSH Compliance Training and Consulting. Certification is good for three years. The class is led by OSH class instructor Joseph Garcia.
Sheriff Hain said opportunities like this provided to the public by his Office plays a key role in showing that our relationship with sometimes marginalized communities is not an antagonistic one, but a supportive one.