Put people to work!

Hello, my name is Dimitrios Alexiadis; I returned to Anchorage as a convicted Felon in 2015 after making the biggest mistake of my life. I was fortunate to have the support of friends, family, and a previous employer. I had food, a safe place to stay, and a gig with a local breakfast joint bussing tables and washing dishes. Being welcomed back to the world in these ways meant so much to me; it allowed me some vulnerability while I continued working on myself, something many reentrants don't have.

In 2018 I completed my Bachelor's in Economics at UAA; I thought a degree would give me a more competitive edge while applying for jobs, even though I had a criminal background. That was when I began confronting the stigma of a criminal conviction and navigating the hurdles it adds to one's life.

We’ve seen a discouraging trend in Alaska. We aren’t doing enough to support vulnerable reentering community members; with the nation's highest recidivism rate of 66%, I know we can do better.

What is recidivism? It’s the likelihood of a convicted criminal re-offending, measured as the rate of return within three years of release.

We continue to hear about the problems many businesses face finding workers, yet statewide business organizations are unwilling to admit that formerly incarcerated workers play an integral role in moving our State's and Nation's economy forward. Reentry and a lack of employment opportunities for reentering Alaskans directly contribute to homelessness, but our community doesn't discuss this in earnest.

Businesses, individual Community members, and Investors play a critical role in the success of returning citizens. Your donation will help me launch a labor platform for formerly incarcerated people called Get-By.

The remaining hurdle to legally employing workers is attaining Workers Comp and General Liability insurance. Then we put people to work and create meaning in people's lives while increasing the public safety of our community!

$5,000 or more in donations would allow Get-By to a. hire more than 10 workers within the first 2 months of launch (depending on client demand), b. position Get-By to have a booth at several local Job Fairs and conference events, and c. fund a Get-By Launch party at a local Anchorage event space.

With $1,000 in donations, it would allow me to acquire both of these insurance policies; then begin interviewing potential workers who have applied to the waitlist to staff the first shifts in January 2023.

$5,000 in donations would allow Get-By to launch the public beta in January 2023 confidently. As stated above, it would be used first to acquire the insurance policies and any necessary legal consult. Next, to retain the stack subscriptions required to operate the platform and to begin the marketing campaign on social media. Lastly, it would provide funding to print additional Get-by merchandise (donation=discount). This high goal would provide such fantastic momentum heading into the platform launch, and it's amazing to know that several employers have recently expressed interest in acquiring help using the platform!

If you want to check out any previous media, please visit the links below;

if you'd like to listen to the Arctic Entries podcast, it offers a more personal side of this story.

Thank you very much for reading and your support; it means the world to me.