A recent Associated Press article focused on the efforts of the New Haven Reentry Initiative, an agency that attempts to help the 100-125 formerly incarcerated persons that come back to the Connecticut city after being released from prison each month. While the article sheds light on the issues which those with a criminal record face, it also touched on the work members of the NHRI tirelessly do to help those who carry the stigma of having been incarcerated.
New Haven is unique in that it has the only city-based reentry program in Connecticut. Mayor John DeStefano created the New Haven Reentry Initiative approximately three years ago to curb the alarming recidivism rate of New Haven residents. A 2009 study indicated that over half of returning New Haven citizens ended back in prison within two years of being released. The Initiative is funded by federal grants, and is headed by Amy Meek, a Yale Law School graduate, who works out of a small office in City Hall.
Meek, along with Bill Dyson, a well known community activist and former legislator, is also co-chair of the New Haven Reentry Roundtable, a consortium of community service providers, state and federal criminal justice agencies, and concerned citizens, and formerly incarcerated persons. At monthly meetings, members discuss and implement strategies to aid newly released inmates, as well as anyone in the area with a criminal record. It is in this dual role as the New Haven Reentry Coordinator and NHRRT co-chair that Meek has her finger on the pulse of the needs of those coming out of jail or prison.
Meek was instrumental in developing a pilot program that allowed 12 people with felony convictions to be able to live in public housing units, a big victory as HUD has been known to reject applicants who were convicted on criminal charges. The NHRI steers clients to agencies that provide, food, housing, medical care, and substance abuse and mental health treatment. A Guide to Reentry, listing area service providers is available at City Hall, and is also given to prisoners who will return to New Haven.
Tirzah Kemp is Meek’s right-hand woman. Although her official title is Community Grant Organizer for the NHRI, Kemp, like Meek belongs to every NHRRT sub-committee and is the person who tirelessly pounds the pavement meeting with community leaders and agency heads to encourage them to get involved with reentry. Kemp makes informative presentations to anyone who will listen, and even to some who initially reject her, on why successful reentry is so important, including the fact that it is cost effective to tax payers and promotes public safety.
The NHRI held several Resource Fairs in neighborhoods hard hit by crime, poverty and unemployment. The Initiative brings into these neighborhoods several agencies designed to help those needing housing, food, medical services and employment. The Resource Fairs are geared toward those with criminal histories, but are open to everyone. The NHRI works closely with agencies such as STRIVE, Easter Seals/Goodwill and WorkForce Alliance. These organizations have programs that formerly incarcerated persons can attend to hone their job-seeking skills, and graduates are provided with employment opportunities.
Meek and Kemp also help clients by helping them create a resume, something most clients have never done before. Most clients do not realize that the jobs they were assigned to in prison count as work history, and thus leave that information out when applying for a job. Meek and Kemp show them how to highlight that information, and thus give their resume a more completed look.
Meek and Kemp offer support and encouragement to clients who are often discouraged, frustrated and ready to give up. The atmosphere at the NHRI is peaceful, and each client is treated with dignity. Kemp makes it clear to every new client that she will not sell them a dream. She expects each client to be as honest as she is, and to put in as much effort as she does. Kemp lists the obstacles, and does not guarantee that each client will immediately find a job. With that said, she embarks on an individualized program that promotes a client’s strengths, and works on reducing any weaknesses.
Meek and Kemp also help clients by helping them create a resume, something most clients have never done before. Most clients do not realize that the jobs they were assigned to in prison count as work history, and thus leave that information out when applying for a job. Meek and Kemp show them how to highlight that information, and thus give their resume a more completed look.
The NHRI and the NHRRT are currently working with businesses and non-profit organizations in an attempt to get them to hire qualified formerly incarcerated persons. The NHRI has found that most employers would consider hiring someone with a criminal record if that person was connected with an agency, and have taken part in a reentry program. And although critics dismiss this important aspect of the NHRI as unimportant, and seek a quick fix instead, Meek and Kemp maintain that to get a job, and keep it, a person must stand out from all other applicants. Formerly incarcerated persons have a strike against them when they apply for a job. Meek and Kemp see to it that their clients are job-ready when they fill out an application. Clients are taught the basics such as how to fill out a job application, how to answer a question about a criminal history, how to play up their strong points, and how to use these strong points as a selling point. Clients are referred to organizations who provide suitable job-seeking clothing. Some clients may have to learn that a potential employer cannot be spoken to as one would speak to a friend. Clients are polished at the NHRI and then given the encouragement to let themselves shine.
Meek and Kemp don’t give up easily. If a client does not get a job, they will continue to work with that client. And while a criminal record might be an obstacle to employment, those with criminal histories have something that those with clear records do not- Meek and Kemp.
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