A Fiscal Model Program Theory Proposal for Training Reentry Citizen Ex-Convicts to Remodel Abandoned House

The purpose of this study was to develop and examine a fiscal program theory model and proposal for training reentry citizen ex-convicts to remodel abandoned houses. A sustainable program theory model describes ways that training and employing these citizens to remodel abandoned houses may be expected to have benefits to a community. The recently released ex-convicts will learn a construction trade, earn a sustainable wage, and the once-abandoned houses will be returned to the city tax rolls. Vocational education and workforce training are key to this program.;The literature indicates that national jobless rates for recently released inmates is well above 50% in many parts of the U.S. (Greenfield, 2011). The literature also indicates that there are no programs in which home building inside-the-walls successfully supported an outside-the-walls program, once the ex-convicts are released.;The methodology used for this study was a program proposal model which was grounded in a corresponding logic model. The program theory model illustrates the ways in which proposed inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes' IF-THEN evidence will establish connections between what is expected and what is to be accomplished (Chen, 2005; Wilder Research, 2009). This research proposes a business model that is intended to become self--sufficient, one that will eventually produce a sustainable capital stream. Once established as a sustainable business model, it can be expanded to train more ex-convicts, rehabilitate more homes, add to community resources, and reduce recidivism.;The framework for this model was based upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Becker's human capital theory. Through this theoretical framework, additional long-term benefits to this in developing and examining this model include stabilized neighborhoods and improving public schools, anticipating lower incarceration costs, reduced demand for prison construction, a decrease in incarceration and recidivism rates and the consequences to society. This program also has state and national implications.