December 16 (VOA RELEASE) – Over the past three months, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky hosted expungement clinics in Clay, Whitley, and Pulaski Counties. The clinics provided assistance to individuals seeking expungement of criminal convictions.
Goodwill partnered with Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA), Legal Aid Society, ApalRed and the Department of Corrections to offer legal assistance to clinic participants.
“Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is dedicated to helping individuals escape poverty by providing barrier removal services, which includes expungement, if they have been justice-involved,” said Goodwill Industries of Kentucky Reentry Program Manager, Miranda Montgomery.
A total of 161 people attended the clinics. Ninety-three of the participants were eligible for expungement, removing criminal convictions from their records.
“As a result of this collaboration over 90 individuals will no longer have their past holding them back. These individuals will now have a future where opportunities are no longer limited by yesterday’s mistakes,” said VOA Mid-States Senior Director of Rural Addiction Recovery Services.
The expungement clinics provided an opportunity for participants to receive a second chance and remove barriers that prevented them from obtaining employment, housing, and other basic needs to live a stable life.
About Volunteers of America:
Volunteers of America Mid-States operates 30 programs across Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Clark and Floyd Counties in Indiana. VOA serves individuals and families overcoming substance use disorder and homelessness, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, veterans in need of housing and many other individuals and families in need. Learn more at www.voamid.org and follow @voamid on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Goodwill Industries of Kentucky:
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is a 101-year-old nonprofit organization that operates in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The organization is committed to using resources from its 67 retail stores to help build pathways out of poverty for individuals who need a hand-up in life. In 2023, Goodwill helped place 3,185 Kentuckians into jobs with its 1,330 employer partners and inside its own retail stores. Goodwill uses approximately 90 cents from every dollar generated in its retail stores to operate programs and services that help Kentucky’s hardest-to-serve job seekers build the life they desire.