PHILADELPHIA - It’s not just the clothes at the 'Wardrobe' that are getting a second chance. When you’ve got some fresh threads you go out into the world and you feel like you have the confidence to be whoever you want to be.Gregory Mitchell is the literal poster child for the Returning Wardrobe program.
He went from having his mug shot taken years ago to being the face of the ad campaign for the Returning Wardrobe."I was trying to get back in the ropes of going to interviews and the one problem I had was that I didn’t have the attire to go with the interviews," Mitchell said.With the help of the Wardrobe, Mitchell nailed the interview and got a steady job.
He’s got a fresh look to match his new outlook."People usually think you can just come from being incarcerated and do things on your own," Mitchell said."Sometimes it’s okay to get a little bit of help."Helping people who are justice involved has been a perfect fit for Anthony Johnson for 20 years."I got started when my brother was incarcerated in and out," Johnson said. "Working with him he would come home and not have much of anything."As the Wardrobe Re-entry Program Manager he helps people with job placement, healthcare, and drug counseling.
He sees working with the Wardrobe as a perfect match."70% of individuals that are coming home from prison don’t have clothes other than what’s on their back," Johnson said. "When they were incarcerated they came from impoverished neighborhoods and they are coming right back to those neighborhoods.