SECOND CHANCE KINGS
CAMDEN:
THE FIRST NINETY DAYS.
For men coming home to Camden — and for the families waiting on them. A starting point, not a brochure.
What to do, in what order
| Order | What to handle | Why it sits there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supervision check-in | A missed appointment undoes everything below it |
| 2 | Identity documents | The slowest item on the list. Most doors need ID, and getting ID needs other ID |
| 3 | A phone number that does not change | Employers call once |
| 4 | Transportation, tested | An untested route fails on the first shift |
| 5 | Income, then better income | The first job is a bridge, not a verdict |
| 6 | Housing | Comes last on purpose. Early on, a room beats a lease |
The order matters more than the speed. Each line depends on the ones above it.
What an employer is weighing
Briefly, early, and facing forward. One or two sentences: what happened, that it is behind you, what you have done since. Then move to the work. Do not perform remorse and do not over-explain.
| Program | What it gives the employer | South Carolina contact |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Bonding Program | A free $5,000 fidelity bond covering employee dishonesty, for hiring someone considered high-risk to place. No cost to the employer | FederalBonding@dew.sc.gov |
| Work Opportunity Tax Credit | A federal tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring someone formerly incarcerated | WOTC@dew.sc.gov |
Confirm the current terms of both with DEW rather than with a web page.
They exist to take risk out of the decision, and that is all they do. Neither one gets a person hired. What does is the ordinary commercial case: somebody who has been through this and intends to stay out of it is often the most motivated applicant in the stack.
Two separate labor markets with almost no overlap. Skilled barn and equine labor is specialized and word-of-mouth, while plant work is shift-based and recruited formally. Neither pool substitutes for the other.
Everything on this site is an extension of Ben's published resources.
What is specific to Kershaw County
Historic preservation is a live civic force rather than a hobby. Revolutionary War history, the racecourse and a downtown that never went vacant give the place an unusually long institutional memory.
An unusual combination. Equine service businesses such as farriers, veterinarians, feed and tack dealers and horse transport operate alongside antiques, specialty retail and restaurants downtown that sell largely to visitors, plus the ordinary trades any county seat needs.
Growth is concentrated at the southern end of the county where Columbia commuters are absorbing new subdivisions. The historic core is deliberately staying the size it is. None of this is a judgment about anybody. It is terrain, and terrain is easier to cross when somebody has described it first.
The terrain here
A regional commuter shuttle connects Camden to Columbia, which matters because a large share of available work is over there rather than here. Locally, manufacturing, warehousing, food service and horse farms all hire, and barn work in particular is judged on competence alone. The county is large and rural, so distance from housing to the county seat where reporting and services sit is the recurring logistics problem.
The interstate carries a heavy commuter flow toward Columbia, and there is a regional commuter shuttle running that corridor. Inside the county, distances are long and rural.
Start with SC Works and 211. For record questions, the Solicitor's office serving Kershaw County, South Carolina Legal Services or SC Appleseed. County records are at Kershaw County Courthouse, 1121 Broad St, Camden, SC 29020. If you are in crisis, call 988, or 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
More for Camden
The rest of the Camden material
The full market read for this area is on the Camden, SC site. The deeper treatment of reentry support is on the topic site.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
Do you work in Camden?
Yes. Camden and the rest of Kershaw County are inside the regular footprint, along with much of South Carolina.
Is this a government program?
No. Second Chance Kings is part of Ben Lovro's Kingdom Alliance service work. It is not affiliated with the South Carolina Department of Corrections — which runs its own separately-named Second Chance Program — or with any other state agency.
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 Camden?
A regional commuter shuttle connects Camden to Columbia, which matters because a large share of available work is over there rather than here. Locally, manufacturing, warehousing, food service and horse farms all hire, and barn work in particular is judged on competence alone. The county is large and rural, so distance from housing to the county seat where reporting and services sit is the recurring logistics problem.
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.