KINGDOM ALLIANCE
REENTRY RESOURCES
IN LEXINGTON COUNTY.
A resource page, not a program brochure. Ben Lovro served five years. He is a few years ahead of this walk, not above it.
For the first-ninety-days walkthrough, see the West Columbia coming-home guide.
What coming home to West Columbia actually involves
The county workforce office sits on Main Street in West Columbia, which puts job services, unemployment filing and training referrals inside the city rather than a drive away. Bus service across the river makes Columbia jobs reachable too. Local hiring runs heavily to manufacturing shifts, warehouse work, restaurant kitchens and auto shops, and several of those employers hire on skill and attendance rather than history.
Two bridges define the day. Bus routes cross the river from Columbia, the airport and the interstate are both minutes away, and a lot of people here commute within a very short radius.
None of that is a judgment about anybody. It is a logistics problem, and logistics problems have solutions if you know the terrain before you start.
What the numbers suggest
The number, dated and attributed
South Carolina recorded a recidivism rate of 18% in 2019, tied for third lowest in the nation and down from 31% in 2008, per figures published by the state's workforce and corrections agencies. A number that old needs checking before it gets repeated, so confirm the current one.
What it does and does not mean
It is a statistic about a population. It says nothing certain about one man, and nobody honest will tell you otherwise. What it does show is a pattern among the people who do not go back.
- Somewhere stable to sleep. The first of the three.
- Income within the first couple of months. Early and modest beats late and ideal.
- At least one person paying genuine attention. One counts.
The arts and restaurant district along State and Meeting Streets has become the civic center, and the Riverwalk did what a park is supposed to do: gave separate neighborhoods one place they all use.
Kingdom Alliance is Ben Lovro’s service work and Second Chance Kings sits under it. Neither is affiliated with the South Carolina Department of Corrections, which runs its own separately-named Second Chance Program, or with any other state agency.
For the full context behind this, see Ben's published resources.
What hiring looks like locally
The first job is a bridge, not a verdict, and it helps to know in advance what kind of bridge this place offers.
West Columbia works for a living. Pharmaceutical and light manufacturing, distribution, construction trades and airport-adjacent logistics make up more of the local base than offices do. The sectors that dominate here are manufacturing, logistics and distribution, construction trades, food service and healthcare support, and entry-level hiring tends to follow them. Pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturing in the Lexington County industrial parks, the airport and the freight operations around it, and a substantial contractor and trades base anchor employment here.
The Charleston Highway corridor carries one of the densest concentrations of Hispanic-owned businesses in the Midlands: restaurants, groceries, auto repair, barbers, trucking. Separately, the State Street district has filled with independent restaurants and shops. Smaller employers are often the ones who will actually sit with a candidate and hear the whole answer, because the decision is not being made by a screening system.
The restaurant row here is close enough to downtown Columbia to walk to over the bridge, which is why it draws a crowd that has no other reason to be in Lexington County.
Who actually helps
Program details change. Call and confirm rather than trusting any website, this one included.
- SC Works centers. Run by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Job search help, interview practice and skills training, including services delivered to people still incarcerated.
- 211. The statewide United Way referral line — food, transportation, utilities and housing, by county.
- South Carolina Legal Services and the SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center for civil legal questions and plain-language guides.
- The Solicitor's office serving Lexington County for expungement applications on anything other than a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court.
- SC Probation, Parole and Pardon Services for supervision and pardon questions.
- 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
County records for this area are handled at Lexington County Judicial Center, 205 E Main St, Lexington, SC 29072.
Record relief, in outline
They are not the same thing. An expungement destroys the record, so the offense stops appearing on a background check. A pardon leaves the conviction where it is and marks it as pardoned. People use the words interchangeably and then apply for the wrong one.
Expungement is narrow. Dismissed charges, not-guilty verdicts, diversion dismissals, certain first-offense misdemeanors and some drug possession convictions may qualify. Traffic and fish-and-wildlife convictions generally do not. The wait runs from roughly one year to twenty, measured from completion of the sentence, probation and parole included.
Where you file depends on what happened. A non-conviction out of Magistrate or Municipal Court goes back through that court. Everything else goes through the Solicitor's office in the county where the charge or conviction occurred. Pardons go to SC Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
Published fees have been $250 to the Solicitor, $35 to the Clerk of Court and $25 to SLED, varying by type, with some types exempt.
This is not legal advice. Every record is specific and none of these rules are intuitive. Put the question to the Solicitor's office, to South Carolina Legal Services, or to your own attorney.
If you are the one hiring
This is a shift-work labor market. Plants and distribution centers staff around the clock, bilingual workers are an asset rather than an accommodation, and reliability matters more than credentials.
Two federal programs exist precisely to absorb the risk that makes employers hesitate.
The Federal Bonding Program provides free $5,000 fidelity bonds to employers who hire people considered high-risk to place. It is insurance against employee dishonesty, at no cost to the employer. In South Carolina it runs through DEW at FederalBonding@dew.sc.gov.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit gives a federal tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring someone formerly incarcerated. The South Carolina contact is WOTC@dew.sc.gov. Verify current terms with DEW before relying on either.
The commercial argument is simpler than the programs. Someone who has been through this and wants to stay out of it is frequently the most motivated person who will apply. Neither program gets anyone the job — the work does that.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
Is there a reentry program in West Columbia?
Second Chance Kings is Ben Lovro's work under Kingdom Alliance. It is not a government program or a facility. The agencies listed above are where formal services live — start with SC Works and 211.
Do I have to be religious to get help?
No. Ben's faith is his own and it is why he does this. Nobody has to share it, agree with it, or attend anything to be treated decently.
What is hardest about coming home to West Columbia specifically?
The county workforce office sits on Main Street in West Columbia, which puts job services, unemployment filing and training referrals inside the city rather than a drive away. Bus service across the river makes Columbia jobs reachable too. Local hiring runs heavily to manufacturing shifts, warehouse work, restaurant kitchens and auto shops, and several of those employers hire on skill and attendance rather than history.
Where do I apply for expungement in Lexington County?
For a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court, through that court. For everything else, through the Solicitor's office in the county where the charge or conviction occurred.
I am an employer — what is my actual liability?
A question for your own attorney and insurer. The Federal Bonding Program exists specifically to address dishonesty exposure; ask DEW about bonding and WOTC eligibility before assuming anything either way.
How can my church or business help?
Consistency beats intensity. A standing ride, a skill taught, interview practice, or one job opened up is worth more than an event. Unreliable help is worse than none, so offer only what you can keep up.
Make your next move
A year from now, what will you be glad you started today?
You don't need another promise that everything will be easy. You need something useful to learn — and a next step you're willing to take.