Maryland Reentry Resource Center, Inc.

I would use the prize to build capacity.  The organization was founded in 2014.  However, it was not until 2019 that I began seeing clients and received my first grant. 

Our mission is to Reduce Recidivism in Maryland. I am a full-time staffer filling the role of  Executive Director/Case Manager/Program Manager. I have 2 part-time interns from  Anne Arundel Community College that provide case management services with my supervision; one part time admin assistant. We have a volunteer strategist, grant writer and a host of other volunteers to assist clients. 

Funding would allow us to hire 1 full-time and 1 part-time social worker that could provide individual case management and supervise social work students, mental and and behavioral health counseling; a full-time, seasonal employee to run our social enterprise, a pressure washing business that provides clients with transitional employment, mentoring and work readiness; and a job developer to build relationships with employers that will provide second chance employment.

Additionally, we would continue to develop our social enterprise and add other services that we can provide customers, such as landscaping, light maintenance.  The goal of the social enterprise is to provide client employment and also revenues for the organization for sustainability.

In 2014, I was working as an Cooperative Extension Educator for the University of Maryland.  In that capacity I began teaching entrepreneurship and financial literacy at a women's prison.  It was during that experience that I realized a greater need these women would have once they returned home than I could fill with our weekly classes.  The vision was formed in that class to create a nonprofit and social enterprise.

I sat on the vision for a while.  In 2018, I worked on the campaign of our current County Executive.  Although, I helped him get elected, he immediately forget my efforts and didn't even offer me a entry level position in his administration.  I started think about looking for a job, but couldn't think of anything I wanted to do other than start my non-profit.  My plan had been to get a job in his administration to provide income for me and my son, while I launched the non-profit at the same time.

However, God had a different plan so I launched the non-profit without a job and without an income in 2019.

In 2018, 500 formerly incarcerated individuals returned to their communities in Anne Arundel County. Each person will have a positive or negative, impact on their families, neighbors and fellow Maryland residents. Finding strategies that create positive outcomes is critical for the transition from incarceration to independence and reducing future crimes. Former inmates are often confronted with one pressing re-entry challenge after another, often finding themselves facing the same pressures and temptations that landed them in prison. A setback can lead to a relapse and return to prison,  called “recidivism”. Our current state as a nation and the uncertainty of employment in the future leaves an already vulnerable population more at risk, including the families that depend on them. The latest statistics in Maryland reveal a 41% recidivism rate.  MDRRC helps those currently and previously impacted by incarceration to successfully regain entry to their communities by assisting with education, health, housing and employment needs. We provide the support and direction needed to obtain vital services post-incarceration. Our Program provides mentorship and case management to formerly incarcerated individuals in order to create a Plan. We then provides services that ensure basic needs are met and the Plan is followed for each individual.

We work to alleviate all the barriers to a successful reentry.  Transportation and housing are two barriers that have been a challenge to address in the county where we provide services.  Thus, we are currently looking for a van to purchase and a property to rent so that we can house some of our clients that need it. We don't just give our clients a list of resources.  We provide a warm referral and continue to work with our clients to make sure that they follow up on that referral. We are also creating job opportunities for our clients.  We have a pressure washing business currently and are looking into other social enterprises.  We were just awarded a health ambassador grant from our local health department which will allow us to hire about 10 clients on a 3 month assignment while we work with them to find permanent employment. We recently partner with a behavioral health organization to provide for our clients mental health and substance use disorder needs. The approach that we take is holistic.

Poverty and crime statistics demonstrate that when the standard of living is depressed, the individuals living in poverty see the benefits of committing a crime to meet their basic needs is worth the risk of getting caught. And, when severe poverty is considered, there is a direct correlation to a rise in violent crime.

Our mission and overarching goal  is to reduce recidivism rates in Maryland. By doing so, we hope to support stronger family units, lower the crime rate, add to the workforce and generate income, all benefits and proven outcomes when a continuity of care is provided to formerly incarcerated individuals. Below are our top three goals. 

Goal #1 - Ensure that our clients obtain a job with livable wages and benefits that afford them the means to support themselves and their families without public assistance.
Goal #2 - Ensure our clients are in housing that is affordable, safe and appropriate for human inhabitation and non subsidized.
Goal #3 - Ensure our clients' needs for healthcare, addictions treatment, behavioral health care , and relationship building are met.

Our goals are based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs for: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self