With the passage of the Second Chance Act and the growing number of individuals exiting the jail and prison system, re-entry has become an important topic. The National Conference on Ending Homelessness hosted by NAEH presented successful strategies in working with jail diversion and re-entry issues. Francesca Martin of the Corporation for Supportive Housing in Connecticut and JoAnne Paige of the Fortune Society in New York spoke on programs in their respective state that have addressed the issue of re-entry.
The Corporation for Supportive Housing in partnership with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Connecticut Department of Corrections and the Court Support Services Division is developing a Frequent Users of Jail and Shelter Pilot project. Still in the development phase, this project will create 30 units of enhanced supportive housing targeting those who have had 4 shelter stays and 4 incarcerations within the 5 years. The program will offer two years of enhanced services with housing located in the community through a scattered site model. Services will be funded through the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the collaborative hopes to partner with local Public Housing Authorities to obtain Section 8 vouchers for this program.
The Fortune Society located in New York City offers a variety of low threshold housing options for homeless individuals exiting the prison system in congregate and scattered site settings. The Fortune Academy, a 61 unit building with 21 emergency shelter beds and 40 units of phased permanent housing, has operated since 2002 in West Harlem. Residents are offered a variety of services including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, and job readiness. A large part of the success of this program is due to their lifetime commitment to their residents which enables residents and former residents to return for services and/or housing at anytime in their life as the need arises. In addition, the program is carried out by an exceptional staff of former residents and skilled professionals who can directly relate to the needs of the residents and understand the struggles they face daily in their quest for stability. Residents undergo daily drug screenings as a preventative measure to identify issues before they become a larger problem thus enabling the staff to support residents along the road to recovery. Extensive employment services are offered to residents with a 2 week job readiness program and two years of follow up and support once employment has been secured. The Fortune Society maintains good relationships with employers and offers them an extra level of human resource services for their clients, helping to ensure the success of their residents in their employment.
To learn more about the Connecticut Frequent Users of Jail and Selter Pilot Project click here
To view the CSH presentation on the FUSE initiative in New York City click here
To view the Second Chance Act overview and policy recommendations published by NAEH click here
Tags: CSH, Ending Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homelessness, prisoner-reentry, Second Chance Act, Supportive Housing
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