I’m Bishop Victor Glover.

I lead “Fathers on the Move”, a local non-profit here in Orange County.  Also, I was a minister of Last Days World Outreach which is fully devoted to support incarcerated men coming out of prison and at-risk youth here in Orange County and their families in helping men transition back out of prison to rewarding life in society.

Our program has helped over 250 men and youths here in Orange County, and today we’re proud to have a 98% recidivism rate here in Orange County.  [Ken:  I think he means 2%, because recidivism rate means the percentage of people who commit crimes again.]

Today we’re actually helping about 25 men find jobs and housing and transportation is one key thing.  It’s difficult to transition to a world that is not always welcome to them.  Our job is a little easier in Orange County, because of so many local non-profits such as the Re-entry Group and project Neighborhoods which provide resources and services to ease transition for our brothers and our youth.

Also, an important piece is that the missing piece is public transportation.  Successful transition of a changed process, and we are proud of the intense personal work that our fathers and volunteers are doing together to overcome the challenges and obstacles.  We include the difficult process of finding decent jobs and housing and transportation as our key three points.

Our men cannot afford cars by having a backlog of driving violations and tickets from earlier times.  To ease the transition we provide transportation by using our church vehicles or vans.  There is a lot of waiting times for our fathers who could otherwise be spending with their families or setting up their new lives.

I’m here tonight to thank the amazing resources that we have already congregated in Orange County to help serve these brothers and our at-risk youth and our families.  Our work is possible with this help.

But, tonight I’m asking as we move forward on the transportation decision please ensure us that our men, and our families, and our at-risk youth here in Orange County have good public transportation to restore themselves and their self-respect and to help our families become better families.

As I close, I’d like to end with a letter from an inmate from Langsboro Correctional.  He says, “I do not have much time left, and I’m thinking ahead of time.  I'm at a moment where I have 2 years or less, but I have a recent court date that might push that further up to get out sooner.  I have two boys aged 8 and 5 and Isaac 3 years old. I live in Burlington, but I wish to relocate.  I wonder if you provide services for people who have nothing ... home or transportation.  To get a job, to have housing, and to have better means of getting around to get these jobs as I want to relocate.  I wish to establish my job and myself, and I was wondering if this would be the opportunity for me, because I would love to live in Chapel Hill because of all the wonderful things that you are doing there in Chapel HIll and in Orange County.  I would like to be a productive member back in society, and I feel that at this time I'm asking you all for your help."

Thank you.