# @downinnadesert on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc338Olkg3x
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70021161-downinnadesert-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/adae3a6f15.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04T17:00:02.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Down In The Desert🌵 (@downinnadesert) — https://gondola.cc/downinnadesert

## Caption

At a resource fair in Glendale this week, organizers found that some attendees had never been able to open a bank account. Without one, receiving a paycheck and building any kind of financial stability becomes extremely difficult.

TimeDone, a Just Safe initiative that describes itself as the nation’s largest network of people living with arrest and conviction histories, has launched its first Phoenix chapter. The organization says it has more than 350,000 members nationwide.

The launch event brought together more than 27 service providers offering assistance with housing, employment, recovery, mental health, education and reentry support. The venue reached full capacity.

National Director Saad Soliman said the turnout speaks to the scale of unmet need, and that the community in Phoenix is desperate for this connection because the opposite of barriers is access. He described a pattern he hears repeatedly, of people who can find work but not work that pays enough to cover their bills, leaving them with few ways out.

Soliman said the organization’s advocacy focuses on people who have taken accountability and are working to support their families, describing them as hardworking parents and family members who stay out of trouble and want a fair chance to earn back their place in the community.

According to FOX 10 Phoenix, roughly 500,000 Arizonans live with old or low-level criminal records that restrict access to employment and housing. Arizona’s official three-year recidivism rate is 29 percent.

One attendee, identified only as Everett, said he has a felony on his record and it has been hard to find a job, and that he hoped the event would open some doors. Another, Eric, said he was once involved in the system himself before going through recovery, and now works to connect others with the same kind of help.

TimeDone is also advocating for two policy changes: Ban the Box legislation, which would remove criminal history questions from initial job applications, and expanded record clearance and expungement opportunities.

Via: ABC15

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#Glendale #Phoenix #Arizona #ArizonaNews #DownInnaDesert

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