A new work-release partnership in Farmville, Virginia, is creating a direct path from incarceration to a job in the masonry trade. LOC Family Services, Piedmont Regional Jail, and Holman Masonry Inc. have launched a program that connects carefully vetted individuals serving time at the regional jail with employment opportunities at the local company.
The effort is led by LOC Family Services Executive Director Shelley Mays-Couch, LCSW, working alongside Piedmont Regional Jail Superintendent Jerry Townsend and Johnny Holman of Holman Masonry Inc. Organizers say the goal is to reduce barriers that can derail reentry, while helping people build steady routines through work.
Under the program, participants can secure employment with Holman Masonry Inc. while also receiving support from LOC Family Services. The support includes help with reentry needs, license restoration, and family reunification resources, according to the organizations involved.
Mays-Couch said lasting change takes coordination across the community. “True restoration happens when community leaders, corrections professionals, and local business pioneers come together with a shared vision,” she said, adding that the partnership is designed to strengthen the local workforce and change the direction of participants’ lives.
For mason contractors watching workforce trends, the structure of this program stands out. The partnership includes screening, assessment, and close coordination between the jail and the employer, details that can matter as much as the job offer itself when someone is starting over and learning to succeed on a job site.
Holman Masonry Inc. has operated in Farmville since 1996, and the partners said the program reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to the community.
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