DES MOINES, Iowa — The Polk County Jail introduced a re-entry resource kiosk for inmates who need assistance reintegrating into society after being released.

The kiosk is a collaboration between the Polk County Jail, Polk County Mental Health, and Saint Vincent de Paul and was paid for using around $250,000 from the opioid settlement.

The kiosk will help people gain housing, work, healthcare and other necessities after being released in an attempt to keep individuals from returning. The kiosks provide some privacy allowing people to work without compromising private information.

“We talk about meeting people where they are at, we are literally doing that with this locations and it’s a critical service. We know that in order to get folks back on track, incarcerating someone for a year costs roughly $65,000, if we can get someone out of incarceration and paying taxes, that’s over a $73,000 a year swinging back to the taxpayers,” said Steve Havemann, CEO of Saint Vincent de Paul in Des Moines.

“That’s a huge return on investment and a huge opportunity to give someone a chance and dignity, a second chance and a great life, not only for them, but the young people they influence.”

The kiosks will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., giving people the opportunity to work virtually with advisors who can set up necessities.