RAMBUILT

Incentives for each new hire

Federal Bonding

Free fidelity bond, usually $5,000, covering each new hire's first six months. No cost, no paperwork for the worker. bonds4jobs.com

Training wages

On-the-job training through your local CareerSource center can reimburse part of a new hire's wages while you train them. Set it up before the hire starts.

Federal tax credit

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit paid up to $2,400 per qualifying hire with a felony conviction. It lapsed for hires after December 31, 2025. If Congress renews it, we'll update this page.

Legal protection

In Florida, an employer who runs a background check and takes a few other steps before hiring gets a legal presumption against negligent-hiring claims (Fla. Stat. 768.096). Ask your attorney what's required.

RAMBUILT support

Applicants work through job-ready checklists (ID, OSHA 10, a plan to get to work), money and recovery tools, and a faith companion. Job listings are free.

Ask your local CareerSource center about bonding and training funds. In Brevard, Flagler and Volusia: (321) 504-7600. Find others at careeronestop.org.

Become a RAMBUILT employer partner

Get involved in re-entry

1. Your local CareerSource center. Ask about reentry job fairs, bonding and on-the-job training funds. careeronestop.org
2. Federal Bonding Program. Find Florida's bonding coordinator in the directory at bonds4jobs.com.
3. Florida Department of Corrections. Its Reentry Resource Directory lists programs by county. Ask a facility's reentry staff about speaking at or hiring through release programs.
4. Second-chance hiring networks. Learn from other employers through the Second Chance Business Coalition and SHRM's Getting Talent Back to Work.
5. Mentor a new hire. Pair each new worker with a steady crew lead for the first 90 days. Retention starts with someone who checks in.

Know another employer who'd hire?

Contractors, restaurants, landscapers, warehouses: every employer who joins means more people get a fair shot. Send them this page.

Pick a county to see what's local. The finders below work in every county.

Near you

Opens a map of places close by. Call ahead, since hours change. Dial 2-1-1 for help finding more.

Need work boots, work clothes or tools for a new job? Ask your local CareerSource center whether they can help pay for them.

My halfway house & officer

Keep the contacts you need for reporting in one place. Saved on this phone only.

Your first 30 days home

Your checks are saved on this phone only.

Need to talk right now?

Call or text 988 any time, day or night. If you're in danger, call 911.

Need help finding treatment? The free SAMHSA National Helpline is open 24/7: 1-800-662-4357.

My medicines

Write down what you take so any clinic or pharmacy can help you fast. Saved on this phone only.

Tip: set a daily alarm on your phone for the time you take your medicine.

Before you're released

Ask the medical staff at your facility:

1. How many days of medicine you'll leave with, and to get it in your hand at release
2. For a written list of your medicines and doses, and a prescription if they can give one
3. For a copy of your medical and mental health records, or how to request them
4. Whether they can set up a first appointment with a clinic near where you're going home
5. For help applying for Medicaid, SSI or SSDI if you may qualify

Already home? Count your pills today. Book a clinic visit at least 2 weeks before you run out.

No insurance? Where to get care

Pay less for your medicine

1. Ask for the generic. Many common antidepressants and anxiety medicines are generic and cost a few dollars a month.
2. Ask the pharmacist: "What's the cash price, and is there a cheaper way to pay?"
3. Use a free discount card like GoodRx to compare pharmacy prices.
4. Check Cost Plus Drugs for low-price generics by mail.
5. Search NeedyMeds for free and low-cost medicine programs.

Craving, or about to make a bad call?

1. Stop and wait 10 minutes. Urges rise, peak and pass, like a wave. Start 10-minute timer
2. HALT check. Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? Fix that first: eat something, cool off, call someone, rest.
3. Play the tape forward. Not just the first hour. Tonight, tomorrow morning, my next report date, my job, my family.
4. Get away from the person, place or thing. Walk out. Nobody needs an explanation.
5. Call someone on your list:

Can't reach anyone? Call or text 988, or the free SAMHSA helpline, 1-800-662-4357, any time. Or talk to Jireh.

Days free

A slip doesn't erase the days you earned. Reset the date if you need to and keep going. What you learned still counts.

Thinking errors

Old thinking leads to old actions. Learn to catch these in your own head, then answer them back.

Self-check: think it through

Something got to you? Work through it on paper, not in the street. Saved to your journal.

My journal

My plan to stay free

Write it on a good day so it's ready on a bad one. Saved on this phone only.

People I can call

Overdose safety

Your body changed while you were away. After time without using, your tolerance is much lower. The amount you used before can kill you now. The first two weeks after release are the most dangerous time.

1. Street drugs, and fake pills that look like real ones, can contain fentanyl. You can't see, smell or taste it.
2. Carry naloxone (Narcan). It reverses an opioid overdose. Many Florida county health departments give it out free; call yours. Pharmacies sell it without a prescription.
3. Someone won't wake up, is breathing slowly or not at all, or has blue lips? Call 911, give naloxone, and stay with them.
4. Florida's Good Samaritan law gives some protection to people who call 911 for an overdose. Never let fear stop you from calling.

Meetings near you

Pick your county on the Resources tab to search there. Call ahead or check the listing, since times change.

Official meeting finders: Celebrate Recovery · NA · AA · SMART Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered program, usually held at churches. Need treatment? Find it at findtreatment.gov, or see the Health tab for help without insurance.

My meetings

Add the meetings you go to each week. The next one shows first.

Create your PIN

Pick 4 to 8 numbers. Don't use your birthday or 1234.

Your wallet is locked

Job-ready checklist

0 of 8 done

Your checks are saved on this phone only.

How far is it?

Type where you're going. Google Maps opens with the distance, the walking time, and which bus to catch and when.

Plan to arrive 15 minutes early on your first day. Buses can run late, and trade jobs start on time.

Votran (Volusia's bus system)

Single ride

$2.00

1-day pass

$4.00

Reduced fare

Seniors 65+, youth 17 and under, people with disabilities

Phone

386-761-7700

Plan trips on votran.org or the myStop app. Fares as of January 2025.

Getting your license back

My payday plan

Payday feels great, until the money's gone before the bills are paid. Give every dollar a job before you spend any of it. Saved on this phone only.

1. Bills due before your next payday

Bills

$0.00

Food until next payday

$0.00

Savings

$0.00

Left to spend

$0.00

Payday rules that work

1. Bills first, fun last. Pay rent, phone, rides and court payments the day you get paid.
2. Pay yourself second. Ask your employer to send part of each check straight to a savings account. Money you don't see, you don't spend.
3. Build a $500 cushion. A small emergency fund keeps a flat tire or a missed day from turning into a crisis.
4. Give fun money a limit. Take your "left to spend" in cash, or watch it in your bank app. When it's gone, it's gone until next payday.
5. Wait a day on big buys. If it costs more than $50 and it isn't a bill, sleep on it.
6. Know your paycheck. Taxes and other deductions come out before you're paid, so your check is less than hours × pay rate. Ask your employer to explain your pay stub.
7. Don't lend what you can't lose. It's okay to say "My money already has a job."

Tip calculator

Tip

$0.00

Total

$0.00

How much to tip

Sit-down restaurant

15–20% of the bill before tax. 20% for good service.

Haircut or barber

15–20%, and at least a few dollars

Food delivery

15–20%, at least $3–5

Bartender

$1–2 per drink

Taxi or rideshare

10–20%

Hotel housekeeping

$2–5 per night

Takeout or coffee counter

Optional. When a screen asks for a tip, choosing "No tip" is fine.

Paying by card at a restaurant? Write the tip on the tip line of the receipt, add it to the bill for the total, and sign.

Paying with a card or phone

1. Tap when the card reader shows four curved lines, like a sideways Wi-Fi sign. Hold your card flat near the screen for a second or two until it beeps.
2. Insert the chip if tapping doesn't work. Push the card in chip end first, face up, into the slot at the bottom of the reader. Leave it in until the screen says to remove it.
3. Swipe only if the reader asks you to.
4. PIN: a debit card may ask for your 4-digit PIN. Cover the keypad with your other hand.
5. Gas pumps often ask for the ZIP code of the address your bank has on file.
6. Restaurants: the server may take your card and bring back a receipt to sign, or bring a handheld reader to the table that asks for the tip on screen.

Your phone can pay too. Add your card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, then hold the phone near the reader.

Sending money by app, and scams

Cash App, Zelle and Venmo send money instantly, and you usually can't get it back. Only send money to people you know in person.

1. No real business, court or probation office asks to be paid in gift cards.
2. Never share your PIN or a code someone texts you.
3. If a caller pushes you to pay right now, hang up. Call your bank at the number on the back of your card.

Opening a bank account

With a bank account, your paycheck can go in by direct deposit, so you don't pay check-cashing fees.

What to bring

1. A government photo ID, like your Florida ID
2. Your Social Security card or number
3. Proof of address, like mail or a letter with your name and address. Ask the bank what they accept, especially if you live at a halfway house.
4. Money for the first deposit. Ask the bank how much it needs.

Where to go: credit unions and local banks are often easiest. Ask for a Bank On certified account: low cost, with no overdraft or insufficient-funds fees. Turned down because of past bank trouble? Ask about second chance checking.

Then: give your employer your account and routing numbers for direct deposit, and check your balance in the bank's app before you spend.

Debit, credit and building credit

1. A debit card spends money already in your bank account.
2. A credit card borrows money you pay back later. If you don't pay the full balance each month, you pay interest.
3. A secured credit card, where you put down a deposit, is a common way to start building credit. Use it a little and pay it in full every month.
4. Stay away from payday loans and title loans. Their fees are very high.
5. Check your credit reports free at annualcreditreport.com.

Hey, I'm Jireh. My name means “The Lord will provide,” and He will. What's on your heart today?

Talk with Jireh about faith, fear, family, temptation, your first weeks home, or your first job. Jireh shares Scripture, prays with you, and helps with practical next steps. Jireh is not a pastor, counselor or probation officer.

If you're thinking about hurting yourself, call or text 988 now.

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