YSU hosts conference to help ex-prisoners

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Hope Conference will be from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today at Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center, offering a host of services to help former prisoners adjust to, and function successfully in, their new lives as free people.

The conference, for which there is no admission charge, was organized by a collaboration of Mahoning County agencies that assists people returning from prison to society to regain their lives and livelihoods.

The event begins with registration and breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. welcoming address by Jim Tressel, YSU president, and a 9:30 a.m. panel discussion featuring returning citizens.

Maurice Clarett, former Ohio State University football standout, will speak at noon.

Among the services to be represented at the event are driver’s license reinstatement with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on site, child-support guidance, housing and energy assistance, employment opportunities with companies hiring on site, medical care resources and referrals, transportation assistance, clothing and household needs, emergency shelter and financial counseling.

Among the organizations providing ongoing assistance is Home for Good, 20 Federal Plaza, Suite M8, Youngstown; 330-743-3700.