The Philadelphia Citizen: Jo Piazza - April 29, 2021
"A recent Temple University study found, not surprisingly, that as the Covid-19 pandemic worsened poverty, unemployment, and structural racism, gun violence surged.
The reality is that poverty and a lack of jobs leads to desperation; desperation can lead to gun violence.
Over the course of our reporting, we heard this over and over again. A key part of driving down gun violence is increasing job opportunities.
We meet Julia Hillengas, the co-founder and executive director of PowerCorpsPHL, which provides paid training and work experience for Philadelphians ages 18 to 26 who often come from troubled backgrounds or who have been involved with the criminal justice system. Whereas the recidivism rate in Philadelphia is 50 percent, the recidivism rate for PowerCorpsPHL participants was 8 percent; and when the organization raised pay by $3 per hour, that rate dropped to 3 percent."
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