Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Reentry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
WELD outreach manager Jim Chambers outlines reentry services and outcomes
Summary
Jim Chambers, outreach and government relations manager for WELD, told the council that the nonprofit provides paid orientation ("Weld Month"), clinical case management, peer support and recovery housing to people returning from incarceration, and described program scale and outcomes.
Jim Chambers, outreach and government relations manager for WELD, presented the nonprofit's approach to helping people leave prison and jail and reestablish housing and employment.
Chambers said WELD combines peer-led support and clinical case management to address trauma, addiction and barriers to housing and work. "I myself served 23 years in prison," Chambers said, using his lived experience to explain the peer model. He said WELD runs an initial paid orientation called "Weld Month," offers digital and financial literacy, sobriety skills and provides laptops and resumes when participants complete the program.
Chambers emphasized the overlap between reentry and public safety: WELD aims to prevent future harm by stabilizing people at release rather than relying on incarceration alone. He cited a 2025 state analysis figure that roughly 31 percent of people incarcerated in Washington are reincarcerated within three years, and said WELD served about 450 members last year and currently has "165 people in clinical case management and 110 in our housing program."
