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Peckham Incorporated pitches employment and youth reentry programs for Oakland County
Summary
Peckham Incorporated, a nonprofit social enterprise that trains and places people with disabilities and justice-involved youth in employment, presented program details to Oakland County commissioners and discussed potential partnerships with juvenile court and workforce programs.
Peckham Incorporated presented an overview of its vocational, manufacturing, contact-center and human-services programs to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on March 4, 2025, and discussed potential partnerships to serve people with disabilities, adjudicated youth and returning citizens.
Lisa Webb Sharp, chief operating officer of Peckham Incorporated, described Peckham as a social enterprise that operates federal contracts for contact-center solutions, manufacturing and third-party logistics and reinvests revenues in workforce and human-service programs that employ or serve people with disabilities.
Caleb Adams, Peckham’s chief human services officer, said Peckham places people in community employment (about 670 placements last year, with a goal of 800 this year) and pays wages to persons served; Peckham reported paying more than $100 million in client wages last year and serving 7,566 individuals across its programs. Sarah Britton, director of youth services, described an array of juvenile-court-contracted programs that focus on industry-recognized credentials, cognitive behavioral interventions and workforce training (culinary, forklift, skilled trades) in partnership with Michigan Works.
Commissioners asked about how Peckham serves people who are deaf or hard of hearing and how its youth programming integrates with school-credit recovery and post-release services. Peckham representatives said many people with disabilities do not disclose their status and that the organization uses universal-design and reasonable workplace accommodations (for example, warning lights for forklifts) to enable employment. Peckham representatives said juvenile-court contracts often include court-ordered participants, and the organization can deliver services that are eligible for juvenile court child-care funds and WIOA co-enrollment.
Commissioners welcomed the presentation and encouraged staff to explore possible contracts and pilot programs; several commissioners requested site visits to Peckham facilities in the Lansing region to view operations. No formal county action or contract was approved at the meeting; officials discussed follow-up presentations to juvenile court and coordination with Michigan Works and county fiscal staff to assess possible partnerships and funding mechanisms.
Peckham representatives emphasized they only operate where invited and seek to collaborate with existing local nonprofits and courts rather than supplant services. Commissioner Erikson Gault said the model moves beyond “glorified babysitting” to provide career pathways and inclusion. Commissioners expressed general support while noting budget uncertainty at the federal level could affect county planning.
