They are an often-overlooked segment of our society, the men and women who spend time in prison and then are released back into society with few marketable skills and even fewer friends willing to put their reputations on the line to help them find meaningful work that will help them stay on their feet.

There are many reasons for the recidivism that plagues ex-convicts. To be sure, one of those reasons is often a lack of desire to stay on the straight-and-narrow path that will keep them from returning to the crimes that put them in prison to start with. Sometimes, it’s because of poor choices in friends and associates. And sometimes it’s just a matter of not really knowing how to break those old, bad habits.

Prisons are vitally important in our society as punishment for crime and as a deterrent to those who would commit an affront to societal standards. But they often are lacking in preparation for those they release back into society.

The Better Man Coalition seeks to step in where the penal system has failed. The nonprofit organization has helped dozens of men in Suffolk find housing, clothing and employment upon their release from prison. The men are housed in small-group environments, and they are clothed and given jobs that teach them new skills and allow them to earn their food, shelter and counseling.

The organization operates a car wash, a lawn service, a handyman service and a barbershop. The services are offered for suggested donations, which then help fund the organization’s work.

In the meantime, the men receive help with a number of services, including obtaining identification cards, setting up payment plans for child support, court fines or restitution, getting their GEDs and receiving many types of counseling, including parenting, alcohol or drug abuse, anger management, spiritual and more.

The program was the brainchild primarily of Bob Battaglia and Darrin Holmes, who have transformed properties Battaglia owns into shelters for men who need help getting back on their feet after being released from incarceration or living on the streets.

Nearly 50 men have found a fresh start through the Better Man Coalition since it was started just six months ago. Three of those have gotten their own jobs, and two have found their own housing with the help of the group’s resources. None of those who have entered the program has been re-arrested.

The Better Man Coalition is a great example of people seeing a particular need in a community and stepping in to meet that need in a dignified, caring manner. The organization and the men it helps deserve all the support that private citizens in Suffolk can muster.