Mindful of the growing number of citizens with some sort of criminal history, and understanding the barriers to successful re-entry, the Hairston Foundation established The New Phoenix Initiative to work with community partners to increase employment opportunities to returning citizens – focusing on the healthcare industry.

Some survey data suggest that more than half of released ex-offenders remain unemployed up to a year after their release from custody. A major goal of this program is to identify ex-offenders and train them to become family caregivers (e.g. they can be hired by one or more home care agencies to provide care to a loved one or close friend who is also a qualified Medicaid recipient).