‘The focus is dignity’ - For former inmates, St. Vincent de Paul program offers a fresh start
"I got my kids back, I have a roof over my head, and a stable job."
Ricardo Salgado felt lost when he walked out of a federal penitentiary three months ago.
For the past 20 years, Salgado had been locked inside a walled complex where time seemed to stand still.
When he got out, things were different than how he’d left them.
Beyond the barbed wire fences and prison routine, Salgado found himself immersed in a cashless world, dictated by iPhones, where even vending machines required a credit card.
He had to start a new life in a new world. And Salgado had no idea where to begin.

“It is tough leaving prison after so long,” Salgado told The Pillar. “In a way, everything is new to you. Just think about what you had 20 years ago to what you have now, as far as technology, it has all changed.”
Salgado moved to a halfway house in Des Moines, Iowa, hoping to be close to his daughter and granddaughter. But he was struggling to adjust and find work, until a friend referred him to the local St. Vincent de Paul chapter.
“Somebody at the halfway house mentioned the program at St. Vincent de Paul and that they would help me out and give me this or that.”
Salgado walked to the St. Vincent de Paul building, unsure about whether they would really help an ex-con — and unsure about whether he would accept the help.
Then he met Randi Radosevich, the resource director at St. Vincent de Paul-Des Moines, who enrolled Salgado in the charity’s “Immersion Program,” without really waiting to be told no.
On his walk to St. Vincent de Paul, Salgado had taken his first steps on the road to a new life.
Immersion was launched in 2018 by St. Vincent de Paul-Des Moines for men like Salgado.
The program aims to help recently released former inmates readjust to life beyond prison. Over the past few years, the Iowa idea has grown into a national project, with chapters in cities across the country.

“My pride was really high, I do not like handouts, it was not easy,” Salgado said. “But I told Randi about my situation and how I do not want handouts and she asked, ‘Would you accept some food and clothing from me just while you get on your feet?’”
“Then I said, ‘I need to get to work.’ She gave me resources to go find jobs, and when I mentioned I wanted to get a driver’s license she walked me through the steps.”
New horizons
St. Vincent de Paul is a national charitable organization which operates chapters in cities across the United States. In Des Moines, the local organization launched 101 years ago with a thrift store and food pantry.
Ten years ago, Steve Havemann began serving as the local chapter’s CEO and set an ambitious vision for the program to expand and better serve the local community.
Over the past 10 years, the local operation has grown exponentially, from operating one location to five, from a $600,000 budget to spending over $8.5 million annually.
“Our resources have increased to meet the demand, and the demand continues to increase, so our resources continue to increase. We have grown from seven staff to 103. From 110 volunteers to over 1,000. It is just drastically different,” Havemann told The Pillar.
“But we are trying to keep the focus on spirituality, a focus on individual service, a focus on not letting this become just an agency.”

To keep St. Vincent’s from becoming just another help agency, Havemann prioritizes human dignity. He reminds staff and volunteers to give each individual the time and respect that they deserve.
“The focus is dignity in everything that we do,” Havemann said. “I want everyone to feel welcome and loved when they walk through the doors. I want the service to always be with dignity and respect.”
Ten years ago, the organization devoted its attention primarily to its food pantry and thrift store. Within a few months of starting, Havemann began to see that if St. Vincent de Paul wanted to have a lasting impact on their community, they would need to help set people up for long-term success.
“We are not there to do someone's laundry and have them move into our house and stay with us,” Havemann said. “We are here to help them move forward in their journey, to reach their God-given potential. That is why we do all of this work, it is to help people reach their God-given potential.”
“There are strengths and skills in all of us that we can self-actualize. Think about how much better the world could be if we helped people embrace their God given gifts.”
“That is what we are working towards.”
The Immersion program grew out of another program pioneered by St. Vincent de Paul-Des Moines.
In 2017, the chapter created Back2Work, a six-day educational program teaching participants career readiness, financial literacy, social skills and addresses other important topics.
“Employment is the key to whatever their next steps are on their journey,” Joy Esposito, St. Vincent de Paul’s director of programs, told The Pillar. “As we start Back2Work for some people, we are starting from ground zero. Some folks have been incarcerated for 10 years, others did not finish high school or are recent immigrants. You need to start there.”
“What is important is that everybody has a different experience and Back2Work really meets people where they are.”
During the six days, participants are paid minimum wage for every hour they attend class, where they hear from professionals and former participants.
Participants who complete the six-day program have a 90% placement rate in local jobs, the group told The Pillar.
Esposito and her team continue to follow up with participants for several months, helping to ensure that they are finding stability within their jobs.
“What I always tell my team is that we are on this journey with them,” Esposito said. “Once they leave...that doesn't mean we are done. We are going to call them the following week and check in asking, ‘Let's make another appointment. Let's follow up. Where have you submitted your application?’ It has and will always be about having these connections and building that relationship to support them.”
Shortly after St. Vincent de Paul launched Back2Work, the team learned that more than one-third of attendees had been recently incarcerated. Those participants had different needs than other people in the job training program.
So, Havemann began dreaming up a second program — Immersion.
“Our council president was a former federal agent, and he actually called me one morning and said, ‘You know, we got to do something intentional, as a response to all of these people we are serving who have been incarcerated’,” Havemann said.
“He told me, ‘I spent most of my career putting people away, and now I would like to help keep them out.’ I replied, ‘Ironically, I just submitted a grant yesterday for that exact sort of project’.”
In 2018, St. Vincent de Paul launched Immersion, providing one-on-one assistance to formerly incarcerated participants. Radosevich began serving as the resource director and started meeting with clients.
Immersion, she believes, is having a huge impact on people’s lives.
“We have integrity and credibility with these folks, with this population,” Radosevich said.
“Maybe they see me inside the jail or maybe they will see me at a treatment center. And then they will call and then they will meet with us again, or they will have a relapse and then they will see us again. It is that consistent follow-up — ‘call me, we need to do this, let me know, I'll get you an appointment at the pantry.’ Establishing that community contact is so important.”
Since its inception, the program has seen widespread success, with participants finding jobs, stable housing and adjusting to life after prison.
And participants in the program have a recidivism rate of 18% - significantly lower than the statewide recidivism rate of 45.5%.
Immersion makes a difference for entire families, Havemann said. It’s also a smart investment for the civic community, she added.
“It costs $65,000 a year to incarcerate someone. Now these folks are out, gainfully employed, paying taxes,” she said.
In recent years, other chapters of the St. Vincent de Paul Society have seen the success of these initiatives and have sought to launch their own Back2Work and Immersion programs. To date, Back2Work has been launched in 12 cities, and Immersion in 10.
The Des Moines chapter now hosts national trainings and has written the guidelines for the programs in other cities.
“When I started, I saw an organization in Des Moines that just needed a little bit of attention,” Havemann said. “Now we are evolving to the point of having a national impact which means a lot. I mean, that's the dream.”
“I never thought in a million years that we would be able to have a national impact, holding national trainings in Des Moines and rolling these programs out nationally. It was unbelievable. But if you look at the data, it is pretty obvious that these programs are having an impact and we want to share that.”
‘A giant family’
For that staff at St. Vincent de Paul, though, the focus is not on statistics, but on the dignity of the people they serve.
“When they get out of prison, [people] still have clothes with their names on them,” Radosevich said.
“If they are at a [halfway house], when they leave to go to work or go to meetings, they are given a clear plastic bag, with a sandwich, and a piece of fruit and a granola bar in it. So if they are standing at the bus stop, you know all of those people are recently released prisoners because of the plastic bag.”
Immersion aims to replace those things with something more personal.
“I always start by getting rid of clothes with their names on it. I do nothing with Department of Corrections ID numbers,” Radosevich continued.
For Immersion participants, a personal connection creates a welcoming environment that helps them feel comfortable in opening up.
“They gave me food, clothes, and helped me with rent and stuff like that, which is great,” Salgado said. “But what was even more helpful is they gave me a safe place to talk whenever I needed something. I always know that I can come on in and I will be treated with respect, as a person, and they will figure out a way to help me.”
Some of the people who complete Back2Work or Immersion end up working for St. Vincent de Paul.
Both Dusty Daughenbaugh and Brittney Garrett completed the Back2Work program a few years ago. They were both offered jobs at St. Vincent de Paul shortly thereafter, and both eventually became store managers.

Both women said Back2Work changed their lives.
“I struggled with finding a job because I had a drug addiction and I did not work for years,” Daughenbaugh said. “Then I started the Back2Work program. St. Vincent DePaul helped me to find housing, how to build a resume, all the things. Then I did an internship at one of the thrift store locations and then got hired on as a production person in the back.”
“Here almost three years later, I would not be where I am today if it was not for this place. I got my kids back, I have a roof over my head, and a stable job.”
Three years ago, Garrett found herself in a similar position. Recovering from a drug addiction and hoping to regain custody of her children, she was looking for work. But nobody would give her a chance — until she met the people at St. Vincent de Paul.
“They have seen stuff in me that nobody else has seen in me,” Garrett said. “They have given me opportunities that were never presented before in my life.”
“It is really like a giant family.”
Participating in the Back2Work program not only provided Garrett with the technical skills that she would need to succeed, but also critical interpersonal skills.
“It really helped me to build my self-confidence,” Garrett said. “They saw all of the hard work and dedication that I was putting in and I thought of it as just work. They were quick to say that it is more than that. It is like stepping stones for if I ever want to go anywhere else.”
“I have learned everything that I need to know here.”
In addition to working at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, Garrett also speaks to new Back2Work classes monthly.
“I keep coming back to help and speak because I want to give back to this community that has helped me so much, because I was once someone that needed that help,” she said.
Salgado, who has only been participating in Immersion for three months, has also been moved to find ways to give back. He regularly volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.
“I come now and I tell them: ‘Since you helped me, what is there that I can do for you guys?’” Salgado said. “I come and volunteer to help unload the trucks and move stuff around the property for them. They helped me out so much, so I want to give back and help others.”
This is such a great thing to read about and see that the programs are spreading!!
God bless these people. Treating people with human dignity led to a huge drop in reincarceration. The Catholic model of social justice truly is the best!