Presenters told the Tompkins County Public Safety Committee on July 22 that a one‑year pilot of the Beyond the Box reentry employment initiative helped one small employer place and retain people with criminal records and that organizers are seeking county support to scale the model.

Tali Magambe, a presenter for the Ultimate Reentry Opportunity collective, described the program’s approach as “humans humanizing humans,” explaining the pilot combined employer assessment, management training, workplace policy review and a dedicated navigational specialist who supports employees week‑to‑week. “Trainings aren’t enough,” Magambe said, adding that participants often face trauma and long‑term barriers that require ongoing coaching and employer feedback loops.

Paula Ioannidis said the pilot partner, Moosewood restaurant, is a 30–35‑employee business that already had pro‑second‑chance policies but needed help translating those policies into day‑to‑day management practices. The program delivered two workplace trainings, inclusive‑management coaching and a navigational support specialist who worked directly with justice‑impacted employees on issues such as digital literacy, financial literacy and housing. She said those supports frequently connected back to systemwide needs such as affordable housing near downtown Ithaca.

Organizers said the pilot also included research and employer summits, produced a lessons‑learned report for the county, and led to a request for further funding. “You’re going to receive an over target request… that the Human Services Coalition has already blessed with its endorsement,” Magambe said; in a later exchange Paula Ioannidis confirmed the round figure discussed for the next phase was about $49,000.

Committee members praised the detailed employer assessments and asked whether additional summits and employer outreach are planned; organizers said another summit is expected about 18 months after additional work is completed and that several local employers have already expressed interest in continuing the work. The presenters said employers would be expected to contribute to training costs as part of scaling and that the navigational support role was the most important and cost‑sensitive piece to fund.

No formal committee vote was taken on the project at the July 22 meeting; presenters said they will submit an over‑target request and that the Human Services Coalition had already endorsed it.