Workout Ltd.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Cynthia Zupanec
Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group
Phone: 719-572-6159
Fax: 719-572-6197
cynthiaz@ppbhg.org
www.ppbhg.org

Colorado Springs, CO, July 15, 2005 – The U. S. Department of Labor has just announced a major investment in Southern Colorado that will serve as a springboard for youthful offenders to successfully enter the workforce. Aspen Diversified Industries Services, Inc. (ADIS), a member of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, has just received notification that it is the recipient a $2.5 million U. S. Department of Labor grant. Workout Ltd., a wholly-owned division of ADIS, has been contracted to administer the project.

DOL grant is one of only 16 awarded nationwide.
This unique grant—one of only 16 awarded nationwide—will be used to fund a comprehensive program designed to: 1) utilize proven strategies and networks to prepare area youth offenders for high-demand/high-growth jobs suited for each individual, and 2) place qualified youth offenders in jobs for which they are trained and which provide at least average market-based wages for each occupation. Colorado Spring’s ADIS can count itself among some notable award recipients in cities like Dallas, Ft. Worth, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, among others. ADIS will provide Workout Ltd. $851,249 per year for 3 years to coordinate education and job training resources for high-risk youth, ages 16-21.

High area rates of juvenile arrest—few education and job training resources.
El Paso County has the highest number of delinquency cases of any Colorado county. Furthermore, the Fourth Judicial District, comprised of El Paso and Teller Counties, has high rates of juvenile arrest and few education and job training resources targeted for these high-risk youth. According to Ken Barela, Senior Vice President, Aspen Diversified Industries Services, Inc., the grant will make it possible to provide educational, vocational, and therapeutic services to kids who would have typically been incarcerated and/or sentenced to community service only.

Collaborative project between government, non-profit and private business sectors.
Youth who meet eligibility requirements will be referred to this program from the Fourth Judicial District court system, the youth corrections facilities in the Colorado Southern Youth Correction Region, and the parole and probation system. In addition, youth who have had or are currently engaged in the criminal justice system are eligible for referral from area school counselors. Workout Ltd. will also create an Industry Advisory Board comprised of representatives from high-growth, high-demand industries to assist in policy guidance, as well as program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Project vocational counselors will assess each participant, and based on assessment information, will refer participants to any additional community support that is needed, for example, remedial education or behavioral health or substance abuse services.

About Workout, Ltd.
Based in Colorado Springs, CO., Workout, Ltd. is a 30-year-old non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of Colorado on November 20, 1974, for the purposes of providing work rehabilitation and community service opportunities to juvenile offenders in the Fourth Judicial District. In 2001, Workout, Ltd. added restorative justice services for youth and victims through Victim/Offender Mediations and Victim Advocacy. At the end of 2004, a funding crisis nearly forced Workout, Ltd. to close its doors; however, a merger with Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group (PPBHG) in March 2005, made it possible for Workout Ltd. to continue to provide services. Workout, Ltd. is now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aspen Diversified Industries Services, Inc. and as an affiliate of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group.

Workout Ltd. has proven track record.
The core of Workout, Ltd. for the last 30-years has been to serve the victims of juvenile crime by providing restitution and reparations, as well as providing meaningful work projects for youth offenders and at-risk youth. “Workout, Ltd. has proven that it works,” says Rob Burrs, Director of Workout Ltd. “Last fiscal year, Workout, Ltd. served over 700 youth offenders in one or more of our programs. In its 30 years of service to the community, Workout, Ltd. has returned over $1,600,000 to the victims of juvenile crime and served over 16,000 youthful offenders.” Burrs cites additional program benefits:

Helping youth understand the immediate consequences of their actions works-an average of 30% of most youthful offenders in traditional rehabilitation programs are rearrested; for youth in Workout Ltd., this rate is continuously less than 10% (currently 7.4%).
Utilizing Workout Ltd. as an alternative to incarceration saves tax dollars: $160.00 per day per youth at Spring Creek Youth Services Center versus $142.00 per youth to complete programs through Workout Ltd. (average length of stay of 3 months)
The instant the youth begins work through the Workout, Ltd. Work/Restitution Program, he or she becomes a contributing taxpayer rather than a tax burden.
The Work Restitution Program employs over 300 court-ordered youth per year and returns a minimum of 80% of each paycheck to crime victims. Not only does this program return over $50,000 annually to victims of crimes, it turns a negative experience for youth and victims of juvenile crime into a positive outcome.
Over 250 youth participants in Workout Ltd.’s Public Works/Graffiti Removal Program completed 4,830 hours of useful public service last year (those hours calculated at minimum wage are a cost savings of $24,875 Colorado Springs citizens).
The Restorative Justice Program diverted over170 youth last year from probation sentences saving the Fourth Judicial District and tax-payers $300,448.07.