227 South Sixth Street Youngwood, PA. 15697
Toll-free Call: 1 (800) 253-5719

Community Restoration Works

Adult Program

CReW is a division of Operation Outward Reach, Inc., a privately held non-profit organization in Pennsylvania. CReW provides community based vocational training for inmates of the state prison system through experience and skill development. Instructors supervise daily on-the job training in housing repair and construction for the rural elderly, poor and non-profit organizations. Participants are taught proper use of trade tools, work assembly and job discipline. They also receive technical classroom instruction covering topics which relate to their daily work experience. The goal of the program is to reduce the incidence of recidivism by preparing the offenders for a successful re-entry into society through a positive work adjustment.

Operation Outward Reach currently manages the CReW program at five Pennsylvania state prisons, Greensburg since 1972, Huntingdon since 1977, Mercer since 1988, Cresson since 1993, Somerset since 1996, Cambridge Springs and Albion were added in 2001.

Training Approach
 

Participants put in a full day of work. Projects are scheduled year round and include:
 

	Roofing
	Siding
	Soffit / fascia
	Window replacement
	Gutters / downspouting
	Porches
	Cement Floors
	Block Foundations
	Brick work
	Sidewalks
	Interior remodeling

An instructor aid assists with classes, delivering materials and equipment, pricing materials and providing worksite support for the instructors. During bad weather, time is used for preparing estimates on future projects and for repair and maintenance of tools and equipment. Trainees also attend vocational technical classroom sessions. Class material relates directly to daily work experience, including such topics as blueprint reading, construction math, use of building materials, safety procedures and estimating.

The training curriculum is based on an apprentice program of each craft. The NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) is used to measure our trainee’s success. This curriculum is recognized nationally and each trainee carries a transcript when they complete the program. One of the associations that recognizes NCCER is the Associated Builders and Contractors. Operation Outward Reach is a member of ABC and refers graduates to positions aviable with other ABC members. The discipline and structure of this model has been effective in promoting positive work adjustment, self-discipline and a sense of self-worth for each trainee.

Each Site Manager, (Greensburg, Huntingdon, Mercer, Cresson, Somerset, Cambridge Springs, and Albion), maintains an office within the prison. He/She facilitates the operation of the CReW program at each site with the Operation Outward Reach central office, the prison, and the local community. This includes, but is not limited to, site scheduling, community client application processing, local staff operations, central office communication, local public relations contacts and speaking engagements.