For more than 40 years, The Safer Foundation's mission has focused on reducing recidivism by supporting, through a full spectrum of services, the efforts of people with criminal records to become employed, law-abiding members of the community. The IMPACT Program provides after school, supervised community treatment to youth referred from Scott County Juvenile Court Services. Services provided include individual, group and family counseling, life skill instruction, tutoring, community service opportunities, employment readiness training, therapeutic recreation and referral to community agencies as appropriate.
Safer began serving the Quad Cities area in 1976, when it opened an office in Rock Island, offering adults with criminal records the opportunity to obtain employment. In 1998, at the invitation of then Governor Robert Ray, Safer began providing these same services to citizens in Scott County. In 1996, Safer began offering educational and career readiness services to court-involved young people in Scott County with Rock Island County services following in 2000. Safer has been a beacon of hope to thousands of people over the years.
On an annual basis, the Rock Island Employment Services office provides assessment and job training to more than 250 individuals with criminal records, with 125 of these individuals securing employment at more than fifty area employers.