DENVER — A couple of years ago, mental health struggles landed Jordyn Stutz in the criminal justice system.
“A lot of times when people are justice-impacted, employers don't want to hire them,” Stutz said.
But Mile High WorkShop in Denver wants to break that cycle for people trying to recover from addiction, housing insecurity, or time behind bars, who often face barriers trying to re-enter the workforce and society at large.
Stutz said the nonprofit offered them a chance to reset and improve important life skills, like time management.
“Whatever it is that you're dealing with outside of these doors, when you come in here, like, it's like a weight is lifted off of your shoulders,” Stutz said, calling the people around the nonprofit “like a close-knit family.”
Executive director Adrienne Tafliowski said the WorkShop is a unique blend of a nonprofit offering transitional job training and a small business
“We partner with companies much bigger than us that are looking for a solution in their supply chain. So that could be assembly, kitting, packaging, light manufacturing,” she explained. “It’s always been a really diverse mix of grants and foundations that support our work. We're able to generate quite a bit of earned revenue, and then the support of our community in philanthropy and with donors at the individual level, and so it's a real mix of support and funding.”
Tafilowski and deputy director Rochelle Hinskton lead a team of about five volunteers. They also rent some space in their warehouse to other nonprofits and groups with similar goals.
People aren’t the only ones getting second chances at the WorkShop; old banners are being recycled by being cut and sewn into bags.
Irma Reyes helped run the WorkShop’s sew shop for nearly a decade before spinning off her own LLC: Esperanza Productions.
“I’ve learned to be trauma-informed,” Reyes said. “I’ve learned to train people from no sewing skills to creating one of these very technical duffel bags. So it's just where my heart is.”
The road to recovery often means stitching together more than just work experience.
“It's widely accepted that there's this formula where you have someone who is experiencing some kind of barrier, they go through a workforce program, and then they are ready for a 40-hour a week job with benefits. And if they have a job and they have housing, that's the formula to success,” Reyes said. “There's also a healing piece that has to take place for someone to get into a job and then retain the job.”
For that reason, the WorkShop splits its work experience program into two shorter, more specific programs: an eight-week program focused on stability and a 12-week program focused on work experience.
The programs offer not only employment in the warehouse but also professional skill-building. The WorkShop partners with organizations across the Denver metro area to provide guidance when it comes to housing and mental health resources.
“This place tells people they can recover and they can make their own choices, and they can have autonomy over their life,” said Hinskton. “They're coming at the bottom of a mountain, and our goal is to help them summit.”
Tafilowski said it helps participants shed labels handed down by society, like "felon" or "addict."
“[We’re about] really bringing people out to say, like, ‘Your identity is more than these mistakes,’” she said.
Stutz is already feeling more hopeful, working as an administrative assistant at the WorkShop after completing time in the recovery programs.
“Taking what I have learned here and continue to put it into action in my life,” Stutz said.