WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) —

It can be a long and frustrating road for any person trying to find their way back into society following a lengthy incarceration.

On Thursday, a number of local businesses and organizations teamed up to help people through the process which can involve many road blocks after their release.

The Re-Entry Alliance for the Ohio Valley held a job and resource fair Thursday on the campus of West Virginia Northern Community College, in Wheeling.

More than thirty vendors were on hand to help people who may have legal issues or other barriers to employment

“In the United States we have over 70 million Americans that have a felony or misdemeanor on their background. That’s 70 million viable employees that we could have employed in our communities.”

Sara Wood-Shaw. Jobs & Hope WV

“A lot of the gentlemen that we employ actually have done some serious time in jail and a lot of them have been able to afford cars and homes, working for our kinds of companies. Especially the oil-fields, which does millions of dollars worth of work every year in this area.”

Wayne Minnicks, Director of Recruitment, APEX Energy