INDIANAPOLIS — A program in Marion County is expanding, giving men a second chance while decreasing crime. Now, it's teaching a course in construction and is looking for more applicants ahead of its January deadline.
For a couple of hours every week, a room located off of Meridian Street feels like home.
"It's a warm, cozy place to come to, and it's a safe space," Nathaniel Harper said. "WeCANN has been everything I needed in one place."
The room is filled with mostly men between 18 and 35 years old who were formerly incarcerated, on work release or probation, or coming from trauma.
"I didn't want to come, but when I came, I wanted to keep coming back," Rashid Wallace said.
Val M. Tate started the We Community Action Neighborhood Network (WeCANN), which has been providing opportunities for four years.
"It's huge. It is absolutely huge," Tate said. "They need a second chance, and this is an opportunity to do that."
Tate and four other women run the program under a statewide initiative known as Community Action of Greater Indianapolis.
"We know that when we do this, crime decreases," Tate said.
This holiday season, they're shopping for Toys for Tots and packing food for families in need.
Year-round, Tate and her team help with certifications, jobs, housing, home life and most recently, a career in construction.
"They help with a lot of stuff. When they tell you you're going to do something, they help you with it right then and there, but you have to be willing to do it yourself as well," Wallace said.
The paid internship offers classes in financial literacy, math and a national-accredited construction certificate.
"This changes people's minds about life and what life can offer them," Tate said. "That's huge for me. I absolutely love doing this. I can't think of anything else I'd like to do more."
And the program comes highly recommended.
"15 out of 10," Wallace said.
The more it grows, so does this community.
Tate is looking for 15 more applicants for the free construction course. The program starts Jan. 15 and goes through March. The hands-on class will meet four hours a day, Wednesday though Saturday. Applications are due Jan. 6.
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