Reentry Support
ABOUT REENTRY
Arise Collective supports women through housing and multi-dimensional wraparound holistic programs and services, practical and emergency assistance, and valuable community as they prepare to establish new lives after incarceration.
residential women served on 2,480 occasions
non-residential women served on 217 occasions
residential education students served on 232 occasions
non-residential education student served on 164 occasions
REENTRY SERVICES
RESIDENTIAL
The Women’s Reentry Project (WRP) currently supports up to 16 women at a time transitioning from incarceration back into society. Through community, they are empowered to develop the capacity, tools, and knowledge they need to forge new and better lives for themselves, their children, and their families, while simultaneously working to remove systemic barriers to successful reintegration.
While in the WRP, women can look forward to setting and meeting their own and program goals, including:
- Celebrating freedom as Queen for the Day upon release
- Establishing and following a personalized behavioral and physical healthcare plan, including medical, mental health and recovery care
- Securing necessary personal identification/documentation
- Participating in groups and programs, such as grief support and financial literacy
- Obtaining and maintaining stable employment
- Creating a sustainable personal finance/budgeting plan and building an emergency fund
- Demonstrating consistent accountability to community and program guidelines
- Maintaining consistent progression toward self-established goals
NON-RESIDENTIAL
Arise Collective provides non-residential services, support, and assistance to women who are not participants in our housing programs, including alumnae of the WRP and other prior programs, as well as residents at other local transition homes.
Non-residential participants may also be invited to take part in groups, classes, and other programming alongside WRP participants. Additional services may include:
- Case management support
- Assistance obtaining clothes and hygiene items immediately upon release
- Assistance obtaining food or food vouchers
- Emergency financial assistance for living expenses, such as rent, utilities, fees, clothes, cell phone minutes, or hygiene items
- Referrals to partners to meet other basic needs
- Peer-based Support Groups (resuming soon)
- Referrals to Wheels4Hope, The Green Chair Project, and other service providers
- Information for local reentry councils and resources in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Craven, Cumberland, Vance, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and New Hanover counties
EDUCATION
In partnership with Campbell University and funded by the Anonymous Trust, Arise Collective created the Reentry Higher Education Initiative (RHEI) to give women a chance to earn a degree
Through this new two-year program, which began in January 2023, the first cohort of seven women have begun academic studies toward their Associates Degrees in either Behavioral Sciences or General Studies.
In addition to full academic scholarships, students are receiving full room and board through the WRP, case management support, academic advisement, educational coaching and special programs, including a rigorous “Student First” Bootcamp that introduced study skills, life skills and self-care practices to strengthen the motivation and self-discipline required for academic study.
The impact of education on reducing recidivism is clear. Approximately 27% formerly incarcerated people are unemployed, and those with low levels of formal education face even higher unemployment rates. Formerly incarcerated people “rarely get the chance to make up for the educational opportunities from which they’ve been excluded — opportunities that impact their chances of reentry success.” (Prison Policy Initiative, Getting Back On Course, October 2018).
REENTRY HOPE BAGS
The first of our formal reentry programs in 2016, the Hope Bag initiative provided reentry bags to over 200 women each year. Each bag was filled with practical hygiene products, self-care items and a handmade quilt to support their first weeks, post-release so that they could focus on rebuilding their lives.
NOTE: This program is currently on hiatus due to the closing of the prison. We look forward to resuming it as COVID restrictions are lifted.