KINGDOM ALLIANCE
COMING HOME
TO IRMO.
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 Irmo coming-home guide.
The logistics of Richland and Lexington Counties
Retail and restaurant hiring along Harbison is the most accessible entry point anywhere in the region outside Columbia proper, and it runs year round. Bus service reaches the retail corridor but not most of the subdivisions, so housing location matters a great deal. Irmo addresses fall in two different counties, so it is worth confirming which one holds the reporting and court obligations.
The interstate interchange carries commuters into Columbia, but Harbison is a destination in its own right, so a meaningful share of traffic here is inbound rather than outbound.
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.
Two different remedies
Two remedies get confused constantly, and they do different things.
| Expungement | Pardon | |
|---|---|---|
| Effect | The record is destroyed, and the offense no longer appears on a background check | The conviction remains on the record, marked as pardoned |
| Where to apply | That court, for a non-conviction in Magistrate or Municipal Court. Otherwise the Solicitor's office in the county where the charge or conviction occurred | SC Probation, Parole and Pardon Services |
| Availability | Only certain charges and convictions | Broader, but discretionary |
Potentially expungeable: dismissed charges, not-guilty verdicts, charges resolved through diversion, certain first-offense misdemeanors and some drug possession convictions. Waiting periods run from roughly one year to twenty after the sentence is complete, including probation and parole. Traffic and fish-and-wildlife convictions generally cannot be expunged. 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.
None of this is legal advice. Your record is specific and the rules are not intuitive. Ask the Solicitor's office, South Carolina Legal Services, or your own attorney.
This is one piece of a bigger picture; the free learning community has the rest.
For Irmo employers
A large suburban part-time pool, and constant turnover to match. Retail and restaurant staffing is a continuous process rather than an occasional one, and scheduling flexibility wins candidates more than pay.
| 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.
What actually predicts success
A figure worth knowing, with the date attached. South Carolina's recidivism rate was 18% in 2019, tied for third lowest in the country, down from 31% in 2008. Those come from figures published by the state's workforce and corrections agencies, and anybody repeating them should confirm the current number first.
It describes a population. It predicts nothing about a person. What it points at, though, is consistent:
- Somewhere stable to sleep. Stability first, quality second.
- Income inside the first couple of months. Not a career — money coming in.
- At least one person paying genuine attention. One is enough. Nobody manages this entirely alone.
Those three turn up again and again among people who do not go back. They are practical, and they can be worked on in order.
The Okra Strut is the genuine civic anchor. A town festival named after a vegetable says most of what needs saying about how Irmo sees itself, and it is not a small event.
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.
What work is actually available around Irmo
The first job is a bridge, not a verdict, and it helps to know in advance what kind of bridge this place offers.
Irmo's economy is retail and consumer services at regional scale. The Harbison corridor draws shoppers from several counties, and almost everything else in town orbits it. The sectors that dominate here are retail, restaurants and food service, healthcare offices, personal services and logistics, and entry-level hiring tends to follow them. The Harbison retail corridor is the employer, in aggregate: national retailers, restaurant groups, medical and dental practices, and the service businesses that fill the space behind the big boxes.
Two tiers sit side by side. National franchises hold the visible frontage on Harbison, while independent owner-operators work the older strip centers along St. Andrews and Broad River behind them. 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.
Town limits are irregular enough that plenty of places with an Irmo mailing address are not in Irmo at all, which confuses taxes, permits and service boundaries constantly.
The list worth keeping
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 Richland and Lexington Counties 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 Richland County Judicial Center, 1701 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
Is there a reentry program in Irmo?
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 Irmo specifically?
Retail and restaurant hiring along Harbison is the most accessible entry point anywhere in the region outside Columbia proper, and it runs year round. Bus service reaches the retail corridor but not most of the subdivisions, so housing location matters a great deal. Irmo addresses fall in two different counties, so it is worth confirming which one holds the reporting and court obligations.
Where do I apply for expungement in Richland and Lexington Counties?
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.