Vera Institute of Justice’s Post

Over 70 million Americans have a criminal history record, which can make it hard to secure a steady job, safe housing, affordable health care, or a good education. Real justice requires more than just incarceration - it demands investing in reentry support to break cycles and create second chances. At ASF, we provide the housing, counseling, job training and family reunification our participants need to rewrite their stories after incarceration. Because when these critical needs are met, we don't just empower individuals - we interrupt crime, restore dignity and create safer communities for all. Join us in renewing lives and strengthening South LA through compassionate accountability. The pathway forward starts here. Become a monthly donor for as little as $10/mo ---> https://bit.ly/DONATEASF #SecondChanceMonth #ReentrySupport #FairChanceHiring

A much needed comment, remark, or suggestion on this place - illustrated below, as it continues to exist today. It is the epitome of violence, homosexuality, and negative media publicity, The internal staffing at this particular site are content with their incompetence, deliberate neglect, and ignorance to their overall functions - as staff of either the Department of Homeless Services, Department of Social Services, and or HELP USA - a non-profit organization, alleging to assist the homeless), amongst the previous agencies I have reluctantly dealt with already.* Due to the lack of attention of my scheduled appointed time to meet with a case worker, the mismanagement fell upon the intake worker whom appeared readily wanting to admit responsibility, for the presumed sake of further argument, but also to keep the issues filth swept under rug and out of the site of the Administration (At Large), when it comes to the subjectivity of the staffs' specific functions and their inherent responsibilities; as I have been recorded as having been Homeless. that is: without a Home, for approximately Seventeen months now; I am chronically homeless, under the circumstances of the time I have withstood, and I have been made previously eligible to shop for an apartment within the last year. Why have I now been hindered from continuing to apply myself for housing, employment, and the preferences that are within according to doing the things that I was accustomed to doing before I encountered a community impacted by the Criminal Justice System - in New York City during the late 1990's? What it basically reduces itself to is: The reentry transitional service process is not operating at the capacity that its legislature urgently pushed for - respectfully through the lens of an individual whom wants to benefit from its resources and not oppose them (See: Rapid Rehousing of Formerly Homeless Jail and Prison Inmates, Lance R. Hignite, Darlene R. Haff, Housing, Care and Support, ISSN: 1460-8790, Article publication date: 18 December 2017). *Denotes: Project Renewal Incorporated, Acacia Network, and Westhab Incorporated; Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), as well as Exodus Transitional Community, Hey, HELP USA, why don't you actually review the competencies of your facility operated staff at the Clarke Thomas Building location, to confirm whether my needs for services have been met; pursuant to HELP's Orientation Manual and the Independent Living Plan's stipulations agreed upon - as my signature indicates on or about 2.16.2024. Please consider this as a complaint, in supplement of a formal grievance complaint; due to my - unassisted - efforts to acquire some assistance. HELP USA (my emphasis: ☠ This place is the pits! 👻 ) One of the nation’s largest homeless services providers and low-income housing developers serving at-risk populations Non-profit Organization Management New York, NY 5K followers  1K-5K employees

What I know about the folks in the homeless/housing services field is we are determined and won’t give up, regardless of todays inhumane Supreme Court ruling. A place to exist: Experiencing Homelessness People with power and privilege have historically made the decision of where people - people that may not have the means, privilege or resources to live your “American Dream” - should exist. The “solution” our community and others have historically relied on is criminalizing existing in a public space or creating and building institutions separated from our community. We’ve tried asylums, jails, shelters, halfway homes, and prisons. What we have learned over decades is these institutions and spaces do NOT end homelessness. They are often trauma-inducing spaces and institutions that create barriers rather than pathways to housing, community integration, and well-being. One thing that all seem to agree on is wanting an end to homelessness. For some, it may simply be because they don’t want to see it or have it exist around them. For some, it may be because it threatens their own sense of security and community. Those of us that work in this space, and hopefully others, recognize that it is an unnecessary reality of human suffering that we have the strategies, ability, and resources to solve if our community chooses to invest in it. Austin, and other cities, have spent a lot of money and efforts moving people from space-to-space with city ordinances, criminal justice policy, and infrastructure decisions. This does not only NOT end homelessness, it perpetuates it. Yes, you may not see it as much, but it still exists and makes it even harder to solve the actual problem. We know how to end homelessness: housing and community-based services. This approach saves the city, county, and tax payers money in the long-term. Rates of interactions with crisis services, Emergency Rooms, law enforcement, jails, and other local institutions decrease if someone is housed versus experiencing homelessness. However, we should not be complacent in ending homelessness simply because of fiscal reasons. Our actions should be based on what’s best for our whole community, and we should not accept the reality that often the only housing options available to people in poverty are sub-par. Our community has a choice to continue to blame people and their circumstance, or solve the problem. We have a choice to invest in housing people or continue to criminalize and marginalize people for merely existing in a public space.

Pitzer Family Education Foundation is dedicating much of the efforts in providing educational benefits to the children of incarcerated parents. The best way we have determined to accomplish this is through inmate participation, inmates donating to their own children's education. It's much cheaper to educate rather than to incarcerate and why wouldn't inmates want to participate in educating their own children. Below are the procedures that we recommend using when a department of corrections allows their offenders to participate in donating to our foundation. The best procedure is for a correctional facility to allow their offenders to donate via the institution’s commissary form. By adding our foundation to the commissary list, the offenders can donate whenever they feel like it, with no pressure to do so. It is on a volunteer basis and donated funds from an offender will never be used to cover foundation expenses. When an offender donates to our foundation, 100% of their donation goes toward scholarships for children of the incarcerated. Every quarter, your organization will receive a quarterly report for us documenting how much in donations were received for the quarter, total amount of donated funds used to award a scholarship, and total amount of donation funds that are still available. We believe that offenders want to participate in helping us help children of the incarcerated. The offenders have donated over $245,000 towards scholarships for children of the incarcerated. To date, we have awarded 190 scholarships, and our mission is to continue to reduce second generational crime of children following in their parent’s footsteps of going to prison. Our Foundation’s vision is Education versus Incarceration! Percy Pitzer, Founder Pitzer Family Education Foundation. 409) 284-4155

Check it out! Upon my release from prison, in the Month of September of 2022, I went to task on this model - referenced; completing a Culinary Arts Training Program - while preparing to get situated with and throigh the Supplemental Rental Assistance Program. And still got the shaft from absent minded individuals, whom lacked common human decency and supervision from their inter-facility directors, whose only agenda was/is to capitalize off the liberal agenda, while disregarding or neglecting the independence of individual, that is, basically misleading their supervisors and the administrations - of the agencies they are employed by, that all residents of shelter facilities require assistance beyond the individual's own capabilities. 7 months after completing the CATP, my Public Assistance benefits have been reduced and funds have been skimmed (after providing my personal information to one shelter intake worker recently, amongst other transitional service staffers and shelter employees), I've been subjected to further cruel and unusual punishment, and transferred to an uninhabitable shelter facility on Wards Island; in effect of fulfilling to the goals of the Department of Social Services "Independent Living Plan, and proving that the there are an abundance of socia-workers - in the shelter system - that are undeserving of their positions; in the capacity to assure that their methods are a means to an end of homelessness. During his State of Address - tonight: BIDEN DID NOTHING TO ASSURE THE CAPABLE AND FUNCTIONAL PEOPLE - STRUGGLING WITH HOMELESSNESS - THAT AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WOULD BE COMMISSIONED AND AN ASSESSMENT COMMENCED. Senate and Assembly Republicans have made it a priority to ACT on Homelessness, tackling the crisis with legislation that will apply much needed Accountability, Compassion and Treatment to solving the issue. (2022) Prevention for People At-Risk: While every homeless person comes to homelessness in their own way, we know certain groups – former foster youth, veterans, the mentally ill, the addicted, domestic violence victims, and the newly released from prisons and jails – are at far greater risk of homelessness than the general population. However, California’s prevention programs, to the degree they exist, show little evidence of success or accountability. Republicans plan to help these populations break the cycle of homelessness, overcome adversity, and empower them to find and keep employment within the state. Republican proposals will create incentive and training programs to provide at-risk youth with employment opportunities and establish reentry programs for jail inmates at risk of becoming homeless upon their release. Do something to rectify the bad choices you made during the previous Republican Presidential administrations, Biden. You owe to the people whose lives were screwed up by bad public policies and even worse political agendas.

Health care and treatment instead of incarceration… we need more of this!!

In our continuing focus on organizations making a difference in our community, we shine a spotlight on Soteria Community Development Corporation, a local non-profit that helps former inmates reintegrate into society. With 30% of South Carolinians having a criminal record, and an average of one-in-three Americans nationally, reintegration is a particularly important topic for the workforce and society as a whole. #nonprofit #communityaction #reintegration

Did you know that more than half of people leaving prison face homelessness on release, with almost half being reincarcerated within two years? At StreetSmart we believe that to end homelessness we need a focus on prevention, and we need to acknowledge that interaction with the justice system and homelessness are inextricably linked. If we are to end homelessness we must tackle these challenges and target support to particularly vulnerable cohorts, including people interacting with and leaving the justice system. We need community-led organisations and projects that are successfully breaking the cycle of incarceration and recidivism. That’s why we have supported a range of pre/post release support programs and response - check out more in the blog below. Thanks to Fruit2WorkAus (pictured), Fitted for Work, Flat Out Inc., Drummond Street Services Inc, Women and Mentoring - WAM Ltd, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service First Step Program, and The Big Issue Australia Street Soccer (among others) for developing the important programs we have been able to support with these grants. #homelessness #endinghomelessness #philanthropy #fundraising #community #prevention

More than three out of every four individuals released from U.S. prisons are re-arrested within five years. Why is this revolving door scenario so vicious among those who are or have been incarcerated? When released, individuals often have strict probation guidelines to follow. However, they also face difficulty accessing housing, employment, and treatment for mental health issues. Because of this, it can feel like an overwhelming and unrealistic goal for these men and women to get the help they need, establish a life outside of prison, and build stability for themselves and their loved ones. Many changes need to be made in this system to HELP inmates leave prison and start a new life away from crime with support and understanding. That’s what we’re here for! Our mission is not only to humanize prisons on the INSIDE, but also to support individuals on the outside who need help and guidance. #community ##Nonprofit #donate #community #prisonreform #dogood #givingback #makeadifference