Saturday, November 2nd, 2024
From incarcerated to independent
By William Kincaid
File Photo/The Daily Standard
A host of challenges awaits many Mercer County residents upon their release from jail or prison, including securing employment, housing, transportation and entry into a mental health and/or recovery program. In this file photo, a group of inmates at Mercer County jail learns how to be better fathers as part of a West Ohio Community Action Partnership fatherhood class.
CELINA - A nonprofit organization very much in its infancy has gotten off the ground but still needs board members and volunteers to carry out its mission of helping formerly incarcerated people transition back into the community.
Mercer County Reentry Coalition began taking shape earlier this year when Grand Lake United Methodist Church was awarded a $51,525 Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Reentry Coalition Expansion grant.
The overall mission of the reentry coalition is to bring together community service providers, public safety agencies, businesses, nonprofits and the faith community to address local reentry issues, assets and barriers, according to a handout from the coalition's quarterly meeting on Friday afternoon.
Though it has provided some assistance to former prison or jail inmates, the coalition is actively seeking board members and volunteers to help county residents become self-sustaining by gaining legitimate employment, stable housing, dependable transportation and other essential resources.
Alison Sorenson of Grand Lake United Methodist Church serves as the coalition's reentry liaison.
"We're working on creating a board," Sorenson told the newspaper. "This is basically like starting a nonprofit from the ground up."
The coalition as it stands now is largely administered by a few church leaders with input from community partners such as local government and nonprofit service providers.
Ideal candidates for the coalition board are individuals involved in social services, law enforcement, business law, real estate and rentals, public service, local government and mental health agencies.
Some of the duties are connecting with residents upon their release from incarceration; assessing their needs, barriers and risks; providing referrals to services through coalition partners and distributing grant funds.
File Photo/The Daily Standard
Before being released from the Mercer County jail located along State Route 29, west of Celina, inmates receive a brochure detailing resources and agencies.
"Each person is case-by-case," Sorenson said of the people the coalition aims to help. "We look at the full picture and decide together what barriers we can help remove for them with our grant funds."
Support could come in the form of appropriate attire for a job interview or financial assistantance with a car repair to ensure they can get to their place of work.
One of the most significant challenges faced by formerly incarcerated people is finding housing.
"Being low-income and not having the life skills is a challenge, but being low-income, not having life skills and walking around with a felony … you can't get low-income housing," Sorenson said.
Some board members might also focus on writing grant applications as the coalition wants to continue on after its initial seed money is exhausted.
Volunteers are needed, too, Sorenson said.
"All these people (at the meeting) already have full-time jobs. What I need is people who are willing to mentor some of these people," she said. "I need someone who is comfortable driving (a person) to Goodwill with the gift card that I give him so that he can go get some clothes."
During quarterly meetings, community partners talk about some of the services they offer that could apply to formerly incarcerated people.
For instance, on Friday afternoon, attendees heard from Mercer County Job and Family Services about its lines of assistance that can cover expenses such as fuel to and from employment, child care, vehicle repair and job readiness.
File Photo/The Daily Standard
Mercer County Reentry Coalition was formed this year to assist formally incarcerated people transition back into the community.
Alicia Bruce with the Tri County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Van Wert, Mercer and Paulding Counties pointed out that one-time, non-refundable security deposits of $2,000 are available to landlords who sign a new standard tenant/landlord one-year lease with individuals with a misdemeanor and/or felony criminal record and a mental health or substance use disorder.
To learn more about becoming a reentry coalition board member or volunteer email Sorenson at reentry@grandlakechurch.org.
