A program in Bridgeport is helping formerly incarcerated people avoid returning to jail through job opportunities and support services.

Rep. Jim Himes visited the nonprofit EMERGE on Tuesday at its new location on Arctic Street.

The organization operates as a construction company that provides jobs to people reentering the community and offers group therapy, mentoring and classes on financial literacy, nutrition and parenting.

"We try to use our staff and some of the programs we have to get people see things differently. Right, we know that a job itself is not enough to keep you out of prison, so we focus more so on the mental health and the healing. So recently we started a yoga class and it was interesting to have guys stretching to relieve stress," said Maurice Keitt, a recruitment and outreach coordinator with the program.