Pueblo hears pitch to renew pilot placing formerly incarcerated residents in city cleanup crews
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Summary
Center for Employment Opportunities told the council a four‑month Pueblo pilot served 17 parole referrals with six job placements and daily‑paid transitional crews; CEO asked the city to renew its contract and council pressed for cost, scale and outcome details.
Casey Pfeiffer, vice president for policy and partnerships at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), and Eric Abraham, CEO program manager, told the Pueblo City Council that a short pilot placing people returning from incarceration into city maintenance work served 17 parole‑referred participants and produced six full‑time placements.
The presenters described CEO’s six‑phase model — two days of paid orientation, transitional work crews, job coaching, job development, placement and a 12‑month retention program — and said participants receive daily pay, transportation coordination and wraparound services such as help obtaining identification and training. "Since starting the pilot in city of Pueblo, we've been able to serve, 17 individuals," Abraham said.
Why it matters: Councilors framed the program as both a workforce and public‑works benefit — crews provide litter abatement, graffiti removal and beautification — and as a reentry intervention that CEO says reduces parole violations through income stability. CEO told council it covered credential and training costs (for example, CDL classes) and partners with the Colorado Department of Transportation and local nonprofits.
Councilors pressed for measurable outcomes and cost details. Abraham said six of the 17 participants found full‑time employment, four remained active in the program and two reoffended; he described a total of 2,411 bags of trash collected during the pilot. Councilor Brett Boston, who had visited crews in the field, urged exploring scale‑up options; CEO said a single crew of four people at the current partnership level would cost about $900 per day and would yield roughly 50 enrollments per crew annually.
No formal vote was taken. CEO asked the council to consider renewing a city contract to continue the pilot and to discuss how many crews the city would support. Council members generally expressed interest but asked for clearer numbers on long‑term placement rates, the city’s budget commitment and whether local employers and unions would expand hiring opportunities.
The council did not take action during the meeting; staff and council members indicated follow‑up questions and potential budget reviews before any contract renewal.
