ODA Blog - Perspective

Partnerships can be hard but in the end they almost always prove their worth.  Such is the case for Open Door America and a series of interwoven jobs partnerships that began in 2011 in embattled East Baltimore.  As Jacques Kelly's story in the August 12, 2026 Baltimore Sun shows, the best partnerships take time, heart, and determination.  We first got involved in East Baltimore over nine years ago feeding and clothing needy people.  We continue our work today through skills training and job placement partnerships with outstanding organizations like Your Baltimore Community Development (YBCD).  When you support the excellent work of YBCD, you help further the mission of Open Door America.  Partnerships get it done!        

Finding a good job can be tough under the best of circumstances.  When you have a criminal record, it can be virtually impossible.  For a nation drowning in a sea of red ink, the time has come for employers to look beyond one answer box in the hiring process.  Employers willing to hire ex-offenders hold the key to reducing America's exorbitant criminal justice costs, shrinking public assistance budgets, and most importantly, restoring families and communities across the nation.