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>> This week on NJ Business Beat... >> Some are telling us that the economic hardship is continuing.

>> A new report detailing just how hard it is to afford the basic necessities for a family of four in New Jersey.

Plus... >> We are a state that thrives because we have a great ocean economy.

>> New Jersey's top lawmakers try to halt offshore drilling to protect our coastal economy.

>> If programs allow it, a lot of us will never have growth.

>> We highlight an often overlooked part of our economy, prisoner reentry and the challenges people face trying to get back on their feet.

That is ahead on "NJ Business Beat."

♪ >> This is NJ Business Beat.

♪ >> Hello, I am Raven Santana.

Thanks for joining me on "NJ Business Beat."

Affordability has been a hot topic for New Jersey families and the lawmakers representing them.

Governor Murphy in his state of the state and budget address sought to ease fears of the high cost of living in the Garden State.

This week, we got a detailed look at how expensive it is for a family of four to get just the basic necessities.

United Way of Northern New Jersey released its annual Alice report, which stands for asset limited income constrained and employed.

It seeks to bridge a gap between the federal poverty level and the true cost of living based on things like food, health care, basic Internet access and more.

According to the report, at the national level, 13% of households fall below the federal poverty line.

When you take into account the rising cost of necessities, the report finds 29% of families are Alice and cannot afford those needs.

In New Jersey, 11% of families are below the poverty level while 26% of families are Alice.

The report looks at a survival budget to live comfortably in each county.

It ranges from $67,000 a year in Camden County, up to $102,000 in Somerset County.

Dr. Hoopes, National director for the Alice report, says the situation worsened by the pandemic and has not improved due to inflation.

>> During the pandemic, they saved us, essential workers were delivering our food and medicine.

We also saw close up a lot households struggling with not enough food, an Internet connection for their kids to be working remotely.

I remember seeing families in the parking lot outside public libraries trying to connect to the Wi-Fi.

While we have seen some increase in low-wage jobs, it has not been as fast as inflation on those household basics.

It is that mismatch between where jobs are and what it costs to live in those places.

Raven: This week, workers on strike or in labor disputes with their employers got expanded access to unemployment insurance.

Governor Murphy signed a bill that will amend existing law to allow workers to get benefits even during an employer lockout.

The state will also no longer disqualify workers from getting unemployment if the labor dispute is a result of the company failing to comply with a contract or agreement.

This new law comes in the middle of a high-profile labor dispute between Rutgers and its union workers.

New Jersey getting more aid from the federal government to help renters facing financial hardship.

The state will receive about $31 million in rental assistance funding according to state officials.

That is enough money to help about 2500 to 3000 families on the waitlist for New Jersey's emergency rental assistance program.

According to the state records, there are more than 30,000 families in need on that list, which is closed to new applicants Families in the program are awarded nearly $9,000 on average, which has helped tens of thousands stay in their homes.

Some of the state's top federal lawmakers are renewing an effort to permanently ban offshore oil and gas drilling off New Jersey's coast.

The legislation is part of a larger move to protect marine habitats from oil spills and other effects of climate change.

Lawmakers argue New Jersey's coast is crucial to our state's economy, so protecting it is vital to economic stability in the Garden State.

Ted Goldberg reports.

>> It is not hyperbole to say that this is causing our house to be on fire.

We have been supplying the matches.

>> Senator Cory Booker joined Congressman Pallone, DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, and ocean advocates to tout a bill that would permanently ban offshore drilling off the Atlantic coast.

Booker says there are plenty of reasons to endorse the coast anti-drilling act, from fighting climate change to protecting the economy.

>> We empower hundreds of thousands of jobs in New Jersey.

Tens of thousands of businesses.

Our state is dependent upon the beauty, the clean, the strength of our oceans and our beaches.

>> Offshore drilling is already banned within three miles of the coast under state law.

Oil companies have largely ignored the Atlantic when looking for new drill sites.

Leaders have a new plan for producing energy on the shore.

Offshore wind farms.

>> Offshore wind is essential for our transition.

It is going to bring us good, local jobs.

High-paying, highly skilled jobs.

It is going to reduce air pollution, less cancer, less asthma, and protect our climate.

>> The prospect of putting offshore wind farms has inspired protests up and down the state from people who believe offshore surveys have led to an increase in dead whales washing up over the last few years.

The commissioner says climate change is to blame for that.

Especially since the unusual tally the events in humpback and North Atlantic right whales began before surveys did for offshore wind.

>> These unusual mortality events is in fact because of the changing nature of our climate and its impact on the oceans.

It is not because of an industrialization of the ocean.

That does not exist.

>> We have been talking a lot the last few months of whales, dolphins and fish.

We are also talking about sea level rise and flooding from hurricanes.

We have to protect the Atlantic because the Jersey Shore communities depend on it.

>> We are a state that thrives because we had a great ocean economy.

We are a state that thrives when we keep our beaches and environment clean.

>> Pallone says this legislation faces a tough path in the Republican-led House of Representatives, which passed a separate energy bill a month ago.

The lower energy costs act passed the House by a mostly partisan vote.

Pallone called it "an insult to Americans who are not gas or oil executives."

>> This is very much a bill that is a grab bag of oil giveaways and loopholes that endanger our health and safety.

I tried to attach an amendment to HR 12 Atlantic Drilling, but the Republicans blocked it.

>> Where we drill, we spill.

In Alaska, catastrophic spilling off the coast of California, catastrophic spilling in the Gulf Coast, catastrophic spilling.

Where have we not had catastrophic spills?

On the Atlantic Ocean.

Why?

Because there has been no drilling.

>> New Jersey's coasts are protected by a five-year offshore drilling moratorium enacted by the Biden administration last summer.

In Long Branch, I am Ted Goldberg.

This week marked the beginning of the end for a long time New Jersey-based retailer.

Bed, Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy after struggling for months to turn around its failing business.

The company will close the remaining 360 Bed, Bath & Beyond stores, as well as 120 Buy Buy, Baby stores.

The retailer started its liquidation sale this week.

It will run through June 30.

Hundreds of shoppers throughout the state flocked to Bed, Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby to find deals.

They told us they are sad to see the store go under, but online shopping has changed the retail landscape.

>> I thought I would get good sales.

Apparently, they do not have much sales because they are not choosing the coupons.

I just want a pillow for myself.

Everybody else is on Amazon and online.

When you compare it, I think it is not so great.

Raven: Staffing has been a major issue in New Jersey and around the country since the start of the pandemic.

Businesses of all sizes are trying to find workers to fill roles so it can keep their companies running.

One often overlooked part of the workforce that can solve this staffing issue is the formerly incarcerated.

Those who have left prison and are seeking to turn around their lives.

This week, we are putting prisoner reentry in focus and highlighting the challenges they face in returning to the workforce.

In New Jersey, 51% of the formerly incarcerated are rearrested within three years of their release.

38% are we convicted and 30% are re-incarcerated.

Putting the formerly incarcerated back into prison is costly to the state.

More than $189 million per year.

Advocates say one of the best ways to help the formerly incarcerated avoid rearrest and prevent high costs is helping them find a job.

They face unique challenges when trying to get back into the workforce.

50% are less likely to receive an interview.

They make 10% to 40% less in wages compared to someone who was not in prison.

Part of the reason the formerly incarcerated have trouble finding employment is the lack in education.

37% have not completed high school.

More than 92% have no college education.

Both of which can be essential to getting an interview.

Among the many groups trying to help the formerly incarcerated is the New Jersey reentry Corporation run by former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey.

The group just opened a new reentry training and employment center in Kearny.

I spoke to the former governor about his organization's efforts to get the formerly incarcerated back to work and in turn help local businesses.

>> Governor, you have made this your mission to help those who are formerly incarcerated.

We know this is not easy.

This is something that is not sexy.

You are very passionate about this.

Why have you made this your mission?

>> I have made mistakes.

No one wants to be defined by their worst mistake.

For people coming home from prison, from jail, veterans are coming back from war, people coming back from addiction treatment.

They need the support of a community.

They need guidance and direction.

I do not mean to be gloomy, but a lot of fellows and gals we work with did not have a first chance.

We were not blessed to have parents that cared for them, make sure that glass of milk was there, make sure I had breakfast before I went to school.

It is the challenge of understanding the chaos and trauma in their lives.

Now, they are trying to do something different.

Trying to help them do something differently.

The easiest thing is to go back to what we know.

That is selling drugs, selling whatever.

A lot of them want to do something different.

They do not want to wind up back in that jail cell.

It is helping them, giving them the tools necessary so they can change the direction in their life.

It is exciting to watch.

Raven: We talked about credentials, support.

You have a hand in that.

Let's talk about one of many programs you have started.

How is that getting them on the right path?

>> We understand we are in a competitive economy.

There are certain jobs that need to be filled.

Businesses are looking for those jobs where people have that credential, whether that is HVAC, CDL, Cisco certification or phlebotomy class.

We had a group of women go through a phlebotomy class.

Now, they are going for their clinical education.

All of the women have a job.

Because phlebotomists are needed.

When we say to people it is not just about the warehouse job, it is not just putting somebody back into the community, it is giving them that credential, that technical proficiency so they can compete in the marketplace.

All of a sudden, the private sector says, all right, this young man or woman who is a welder has a national certification for welding.

I need welders.

I am going to take a risk.

You might have sold drugs, you might have made bad decisions.

I need a welder.

Now, you have this national certification.

It is a rational, business decision for the private sector to say, I am going to hire this young man, this young woman.

Raven: We know that has to do with purpose.

When you have purpose, you have a vision.

Sometimes, that vision can be distorted when there is stigma.

>> I think the best way to change stigma is to provide for the certification so you have the technical skills, but it does show people the possibility of change in people's lives.

We all change a little bit.

The person coming out of prison changes.

The community changes.

I will say this, when I first started New Jersey Reentry, I went to old friends of mine that were in business.

Some old, literally, people middle income, businesses I knew them through government.

They hired these guys almost as a favor to me.

By the end of it, a lot of them at that point in time were mostly men.

They had almost adopted these young men as their sons.

It is understanding no matter where we are from, what we look like, the challenges are so basic to us as humans.

For a lot of young people, men and women, it is giving them that chance and holding them accountable.

Holding them accountable.

It is surprising to me how much these folks want to be held accountable, because it is a statement of their worth.

To go back to your word, their purpose, so you are respecting them but asking them to respect themselves, to be on time, to do a good job, to play by the rules.

Our recidivism rate is less than 10%.

In terms of the employment rate overall for in JRC, it is about 57%.

For those who have the industry recognized credentials, it is over 90% employed.

Raven: Living proof that kindness and giving someone an opportunity cannot just change their lives, but the lives of everyone else.

>> And their family and the community.

Raven: Thank you for joining me.

>> Sorry to take up all the time.

[Laughter] Raven: Thank you.

The former governor spoke about giving people a second chance and training the formerly incarcerated and highly sought after skills.

We spoke with one woman who is turning her life around.

Michelle is an electrical assistant trainee at the reentry training and employment center of Kearny.

She says the program is teaching her more than just job skills.

Michelle, thanks for joining me on NJ Business Beat.

>> Hi.

How are you today?

Thank you for having me speak with you today.

Raven: Michelle, I am so happy to have you on this show because our focus this week is reentry.

Tell me a little bit about your journey.

>> My journey at the National Career Institute, I am having a chance for four and a half months to be an electrician.

This skill is already in high demand.

The opportunity to come to a safe place where they provide lunch and a bus transportation, and we also have a caseworker that updates us about anything that we need.

Raven: You talk about training and safety.

Tell me about why reentry programs like the one that you are in are so critical when it comes to giving people a second chance.

>> As I always say, every 10 years, skills change.

People's lives change.

Everyone needs a new start, position, no matter starting on the left foot or right foot.

You start back or front.

Or, National Career Institutes, they help us understand that starting over is not bad.

It just shows that you are opening your life to understanding a new change that is going to provide a lifetime of comfort.

What better way to receive an education that is free and provides you with HR, job placements and if you need to make changes on your resume, you do not need an appointment.

Just arrive.

Raven: For people who may not understand the challenges that those who are formerly incarcerated face, can you talk about some hurdles or barriers that are problematic when you are looking for a job?

>> Not my own situation, but from what I have heard from other people that I do come to school with, parole does not really allow them -- if they find a job that is a bit more distant, they will not be able to get it.

That is a stop sign.

Something we also need to think about of how to change that transportation for people who are on parole, or people who live in boarding rooms.

Sometimes, they will get a job that does not allow them because the commute is not agreeable to their parole officer.

Raven: On a personal level, through this opportunity, who have you been able to provide for, what has it been like for you in terms of personal growth?

>> Personal growth is very big in here, because you have to come to act.

You have to participate.

The teacher literally talks to your case manager about your level of interactions.

Raven: If it were not for a program like this, where would you be?

What would the situation had been like for you?

>> Oh, God.

I would be out there in the library just looking for jobs that I am probably underqualified for.

What does that mean?

I'm getting fired again because I am underqualified.

Then go back to the library, look for jobs that will not even accommodate a comfortable lifestyle.

If there was programs like this, a lot of us would never have growth.

Raven: Michelle, a wonderful, perfect example of what opportunity, growth, and ambition looks like.

Thank you for joining me.

And reminding everyone, using your platform to remind not just others in your position, but companies and local businesses, why everyone deserves a second chance.

>> Thank you, Raven.

Raven: As we mentioned earlier, businesses throughout the Garden State are struggling with finding skilled workers.

Restaurants especially are having a tough time with staffing.

Second Chance New Jersey is a unique program created to help both restaurants and previously incarcerated individuals.

The program provides specialized training and jobs for successful graduates.

I spoke with Second Chance New Jersey's Executive Director, Jim Flynn, about why the program is not only good for the trainees, but why it is good for business.

Tell me about Second Chance New Jersey.

When did it start and tell me about who it serves.

>> It started back in 2020.

I run Jersey Shore Restaurant Week.

I have contact with a lot of area chefs and restaurants.

We were sitting around one day.

Everybody was lamenting the difficulty they were having in finding people to work in the kitchen.

As the pandemic progressed, it got even worse.

It made it very difficult for them to operate on a daily basis, because they were shorthanded all the time.

Somebody came up with the idea of possibly recruiting people who had been previously incarcerated and training them to work in area kitchens.

After we did research, we found out a couple of things.

One is, the recidivism rate in New Jersey is pretty high.

It is over 40%.

A large part of the reason for that is that people that come out of jail have a very difficult time finding employment.

If you think about it, every application that is out there says if you have ever been in jail or convicted of a crime, and as soon as you say yes, you pretty much set the whole thing off.

We started from that basis and went to Mammoth County Vocational School and asked them to put together a training program.

They do the culinary program for County Heisel students.

They do the Brookdale program for community colleges.

They put together an eight week training program that would teach these people the basics of working in a kitchen.

At the end of the eight week period, they would be qualified to be a prep cook in a local kitchen.

Then, we went to a whole bunch of restaurants and said, would you guys be willing to hire these people if we train them and get them ready to work in your kitchen?

A large number of them said yes.

We are now in our third class.

All of the people that have graduated so far are working and have full-time jobs.

Raven: How is this program funded?

>> We began with a grant from New Jersey Reentry Corporation and from the Department of Corrections.

Going forward, we just got approved for a second grant from the Department of Corrections.

We also solicit private donations of donations from companies and corporations and so forth.

Raven: What has this done to many candidates in this program?

Has it been a confidence booster?

Has it been hope for many of them to have that second chance that many of them want so badly?

>> I think what you see the most is, when we graduate a class, the class cooks a dinner on the final night when we give out awards and everything.

We invite people from our organization and the school.

More importantly, we invite family members of the students.

It is about the most gratifying thing you will ever see, because it is the first time in a long time a lot of these family members have been proud of their sons and daughters.

Raven: Jim Flynn, thank you for joining me on Biz Beat.

>> Thank you for having me.

Raven: That does it for us this week.

Subscribe to our NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel to get alerted when we post new episodes and clips.

Next week, we look at the one year anniversary of legal cannabis in New Jersey and what is next for the growing industry.

I am Raven Santana.

Thanks for watching.

We will see you next weekend.

>> Funding for NJ Business Beat provided by IBEW local 102, proudly serving New Jersey's business community since 1900.

Local 102, lighting the path, leading the way.

Visit IBEW 102.org.

For more than 110 years, NJBIA has been focused on the advancement and success of our members.

We are the voice representing all industries working together to help build a more prosperous New Jersey through advocacy, support, networking and benefits.

♪