On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Mercer County, the New Jersey courts and the Mercer County Reentry Coalition will host a Career and Resource Fair for the Justice Impacted community.
Various government agencies, nonprofits and businesses will be available to Mercer residents who attend the fair to learn about services and employment opportunities available to justice involved men and women. Mercer County’s Path Forward program will be featured at the fair.
The Mercer Path Forward: Expungement Services was conceptualized to address various reasons for incomplete expungement efforts and to provide complete services that will take applicants through the entire process to whatever the final, legal status is determined to be.
In a media statement, Mercer County said that it is “committed to supporting the economic health and employment opportunities of all our residents, including those previously incarcerated and/or with criminal records.
“While the State of New Jersey offers people the opportunity to ‘wipe the slate clean’ via the Expungement process, it can be time consuming and confusing for eligible individuals to navigate the various steps of the process. If there should be a side matter that needs to be addressed or an additional court hearing needed to manage an extra step, this can effectively halt an individual’s expungement efforts.
“In addition to the time and occasional extra steps for non-straightforward situations, there are various fees that may affect a person’s ability to move forward.”
“Our Path Forward program will reduce barriers for individuals in search of employment, public assistance, education, housing, parental rights, and voting,” said Dan Benson, Mercer County executive, in the release. “These are members of our community who have completed their sentences, and deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives.”
Attendees are invited to utilize the Department of Motor Vehicle’s mobile unit for REALID, registration renewal, initial permit, non-driver ID, duplicate/replacement title or registration by reserving a time slot.
Bulk, nonperishable food items will be available through Arm In Arm.
The Justice-Impacted Career and Resource Fair will be held at CURE Arena from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25. To register in advance or receive more information, visit the county website.
