In an effort to boost the number of prospective workers in the region, the Southcentral Kentucky Workforce Development Board and its workforce partners are trying an unusual strategy.

Spurred by a suggestion from consultant Lori Strumpf of Washington, D.C.-based Strumpf Associates, the WDB aims to help work-ready individuals with criminal records get those records expunged. The first step in the expungement process is a Sept. 26 screening event at the Warren County Justice Center. From 6 to 8 p.m. that day, people who are otherwise work-ready except for the barrier of a criminal record can go through a screening process to learn if they are eligible to have their record expunged.

Those deemed eligible can then attend the expungement fair on Oct. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Justice Center.

Local attorneys volunteering their time along with staff from Kentucky Legal Aid and the Department of Public Advocacy will be available to help at both events.

“As workforce consultant, I brought the idea to our partners,” said Strumpf. “We have so many job openings and we’re looking for ways to get work-ready people in the job market.”

The expungement events tie in with House Bill 40, which passed last year in the Kentucky General Assembly and allows certain Class D felony convictions to be expunged. The process can be complicated, Strumpf said, and that’s where the expungement fair comes in.

“That’s why we’re doing this, to help people navigate the system so they can get to work,” Strumpf explained.

T.J. Shockley-Hunt, regional manager of program services for Goodwill Industries in Bowling Green and a member of the Workforce Development Board, has helped spearhead what she believes will be a beneficial event.

“People can have their records researched to determine if they’re eligible for expungement,” she said. “Then, if they’re eligible, the next step is to run a Kentucky State Police record check and come to the October event for assistance in preparing paperwork. I think it will be beneficial for a lot of folks.”

Shockley-Hunt said there are fees attached to the expungement process, but, “There are programs that are income-based that can offer assistance with some fees.”

Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken is among those on board with this event.

“This expungement fair is set up to allow individuals the ability to have an attorney review their record and determine whether or not they qualify for an expungement,” Milliken said. “By doing this, we are hopeful the expungement will allow them to obtain better employment and receive higher-paying jobs, which will allow them to buy homes and cars, pay taxes and have better lives.”

Strumpf has experience with similar events in other communities, and she said they have worked well.

“Montgomery County, Md., actually had almost 500 people at their expungement fair,” Strumpf said. “Once they had their records expunged, they were viable candidates for jobs.”

Shockley-Hunt expects 100 or so people at the local expungement fair, which will cover the 10 counties in the Barren River Area Development District.

“That’s 100 or so people getting into the workforce pipeline,” Strumpf said.

Persons interested in the expungement fair can learn more by visiting the Kentucky Career Center locations in Bowling Green and Glasgow, Shockley-Hunt said.