1

Welcome All!To the Second Meeting

of West Contra Costa County’sReentry Programs and Services

Workgroup

Tuesday, August 30, Noon to 2:00 PMBermuda Room, Civic Center, Richmond, CA

Hosted by the Office of Neighborhood Safety,CCISCO, Pacific Institute, and Bay Area Legal Aid

2

Knowledge and Needs:P&S Workgroup to Advance Reentry

Effectiveness

Sponsored by ONS, hosted by Bay Area Legal Aid,

facilitated by Further The Work, and in partnership with all of you,

over the next year the P&S Workgroup will work together to strengthen the reentry system and improve the reentry experience

in West Contra Costa County.

3

On the Calendar• Meeting #1, July: Open call to the community

• What we know, what we want, identifying shared goals and priorities

• Meeting #2, August: Understanding multi-sector projects

• Public and private systems they relate to incarceration and reentry

• Local one-stop models: lessons from the field

• Meeting #3, September: Deeper dive on developing a one-stop center

• Parole and probation departments and their partnership in reentry and in developing a one-stop center

• Forming high-priority workgroups, internal communications systems

• Meeting #4, October: Advocacy and policy in employment and housing

• Richmond Housing Authority and Richmond Employment and Training department

• Bay Area Legal Aid on housing and employment law

• Insight Center for Community Economic Development on workforce initiatives

• Meeting #5, November: Restorative justice (RJ) and reentry systems

• Sujatha Baliga, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, on principles of restorative justice

• Judge Gail Bereola and the Alameda County RJ strategic plan

4

Agenda for Today12:00-12:15

Welcome and Intro: Who’s in the room? Who’s new in the room?

12:15-12:30

Brief Recap of Context

12:30-12:50

“Government at Work 101”: Services and systems

12:50-1:00

Lessons from the Field: Local Multi-Service One-Stop Examples

1:00-1:20 Categorizing the Priorities

1:20-1:30Next steps, meeting dates and place

Sign up by texting the word “reentry” to 22828

5

Brief Recap on Reentry Planning Context

1.Greater Richmond Community Reintegration Collaborative1. Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) has just completed the

development of a reentry strategic plan that aligns with the Contra Costa County county-wide strategic plan

2.Reintegration Hub1. The Richmond reentry plan details an infrastructure to help

coordinate reentry efforts, anchored by a multi-stakeholder “Reintegration Hub”

2. This Programs & Services Workgroup is a first step in turning the plan into reality. Last meeting, the group identified 9 reentry-related priorities.

3.Safe Return Project and the One-Stop1. The Safe Return team of formerly incarcerated people is working

with ONS, CCISCO, and Pacific Institute to undertake a bottom-up participatory model of reentry improvement, including the development of a One-Stop Center and a Reintegration Hub.

6

Nine Priorities

You want....1. A one-stop Reentry Services and Referrals Center in Greater

Richmond

2. An up-to-date, accurate list of programs and services

3. Service providers that work together, so referrals are efficient and effective

4. General population to better understand reentry issues and people

5. Ongoing support group for individuals and their families

6. Better pre-release and transition services

7. Policy changes to encourage employers to hire the formerly incarcerated

8. To identify, educate, and connect with employers willing to hire

9. What other communities are doing to improve reentry

7

Local Government in Daily Life:Who Does What?

1.Contra Costa County1. Board of Supervisors governs the County; it consists of five

districts, each supervised by an elected official.

2. Richmond, North Richmond, Pinole, El Cerrito and San Pablo are in District One. Our County Supervisor is John M. Gioia.

3. County Administrator David Twa is not an elected official. Instead, the Board of Supervisors hires the County Administrator to carry out policies and directives established by the Board of Supervisors.

2.City of Richmond1. Richmond’s Mayor Gayle McLaughlin is the City’s highest elected

official.

2. Richmond’s City Council governs the city. It has six elected officials (Bates, Beckles, Boozé, Butt, Ritterman, Rogers), plus the Mayor.

3. City Manager Bill Lindsay is not an elected official. Instead, the City Council hires the City Manager to carry out the policies and directives established by the City Council.

8

Public (Government) Services:Our Tax Dollars at Work

Contra Costa County City of Richmond

Sets policies and directives

Board of Supervisors (elected): District 1 Supervisor John Gioia

Mayor and City Council (elected): Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Carries out policies & directives

County administrator David Twa (appointed)

City Manager Bill Lindsay (appointed)

Areas of responsibility

Countywide decisions, plus local authority for “unincorporated” areas

(Montalvin, North Richmond, El Sobrante). Total population: 1 million, 720

square miles

Within the Richmond city limits.Total population: 100,000, in 33 sq

miles

Health, employment, human services,

community development

•Employment and Training (East BayWORKS)

•Public health clinics and shelter (Brookside)

•Child Protective Services•County Library System

•Public Works•Veteran Services

•Employment and Training (Richmond WORKS;

RichmondBUILD)•Richmond Library System

•Public Works•Planning and Building,

Redevelopment•Parks and Recreation

Public housingPublic Housing in unincorporated

areas (North Richmond)Public Housing within Richmond

(and El Sobrante)

Safety and criminal justice

Sheriff, jails, probation, district attorney, public defender, courts

(Prison and parole are state systems)

Police department, Office of Neighborhood Safety, fire

department

9

Systems at WorkIf you’re arrested (and you’re an

adult)...

• Richmond Police Department (city), the Sheriff’s Department (county), or Parole (state) is usually the arresting authority. (Today, in response to this summer’s violence, the Sheriff and the Richmond PD have formed a joint gang task force, so they may work together on an arrest, and Parole and RPD often work together.)

• Once arrested, you get sent to a county jail (West County, Martinez, or Marsh Creek), charged by a District Attorney (county), represented by a Public Defender (county), tried by a judge in a courtroom (county), and either acquitted, released on probation (county), or sentenced to jail (county) or prison (state).

• When you leave incarceration: You exit prison (state) or jail (county), get dropped off at BART (more or less), often under supervision of parole (state) or probation (county).

10

Systems at WorkAs you reenter (and you’re an adult)...

• After release, you might go to Neighborhood House, Rubicon, GRIP, or another nonprofit community-based organization (CBO) for transitional support.

• If you’re on parole, you’ll attend a PACT (Police and Corrections Team). The PACT team is intended to be a public/private partnership to meet the needs of people released from state parole. PACT meetings are designed to “assemble local education, vocation, drug treatment, and other community resources for ready access.” However, reports suggest that PACT information is frequently outdated, incomplete, or irrelevant to the needs of a reentering population, and it appies only to parolees.

• To get reintegrated, you might have to navigate multiple systems to get a state ID card, to get your record expunged, to find housing, to get access to public benefits, to get medications. You might have to look outside of Richmond to get services for substance abuse, mental health, medical, or transitional housing.

• The inter-agency system for incarcerating people is well established, but the inter-agency system to help them reintegrate is minimal.

• This is one of the realities we’ve collectively said we want to change.

11

Systems at WorkLocal Models of

Integrated One-Stop Resources

• Workforce Development: East Bay WORKS is a joint venture of public entities, nonprofit agencies, and private organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Local offices in San Pablo (2300 El Portal Drive) and in Richmond (330 25th Street) and at EastBayWorks.com.

• Family Violence: Temporarily located in Hilltop Mall between JC Penney and Walmart, the West County Family Justice Center opened in March 2011; it is slated to move to a county-owned building at 256 34th Street in 2012. A partnership of city, county, and nonprofit organizations, it provides multiple on-site services to support the healing of survivors of family violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, and child abuse, at FamilyJusticeCenter.org.

• Financial Self-Sufficiency: Spearheaded by The United Way of the Bay Area and Supervisor Gioia, the new SparkPoint Center located at Brighter Beginnings at 2727 Macdonald offers one-stop services to help low-income individuals and families become financially stable, including job training, debt counseling, foreclosure prevention, and matched savings accounts, at SparkPointCenter.org.

• Young People: Born of young people’s desires for a safe, engaging, youth-driven center, the RYSE Center at 205 41st Street (near Target on Macdonald) is a partnership of City, County, School District, community, and youth partners, at rysecenter.org. Working with Supervisor Gioia, a planning team identified a vacant, county-owned building and then spearheaded a three-year effort to develop a comprehensive, collaborative-model youth center, which opened in late 2008.

12

Lessons from the Field

Terrance CheungChief of Staff for County Supervisor John Gioia

“Public/Private Partnerships: Key Elements and Lessons”

Comments on developing several one-stop models now in place in Richmond: The RYSE Center, the SparkPoint Center, and the Family

Justice Center.

13

What It Takes1. Supervisor Gioia and Board of Supervisors can help identify county-owned buildings that might

be appropriate; can collaborate with City to identify pros and cons of a given location; help identify resources (physical assets, public and private money, and county services) that are of value; identify and apply for funding for reentry; sponsor legislation and advise budgetary decisions to improve reentry services.

2. Mayor and City Council can instruct staff to work with partners in support of the project; collaborate with County to identify pros and cons of a given location; pass project-related resolutions (both general and specific); provide public information and foster public acceptance; help address zoning restrictions and variances; identify and apply for appropriate funding for reentry; and make budget decisions to improve reentry services.

3. City departments, if instructed by City Council, can identify city-owned buildings that might be appropriate, coordinate city departments (Housing, Employment & Training, Police, Office of Neighborhood Safety), host the project’s development process.

4. County agencies, under direction of Board of Supervisors, can help identify relevant county services, which might include public health, human services, public benefits, public housing, and probation, host the project’s development process.

5. Nonprofit agencies and faith-based organizations can work together to develop collective and consistent data-gathering, information-sharing, local resource mapping, city-wide referral practices, and common philosophies, such as restorative justice, circles of support and accountability, and positive early prevention.

6. Reentering individuals and their families can help shape productive conversation and decisions by contributing their experience and insight into decision-making processes in government, nonprofits, and the larger community.

14

Workgroups and PrioritiesApproach Outcomes

One-Stop Center• Accurate information about services and resources• Coordinated service development and delivery• Support groups

Intentional Partnerships (Both Inside & Outside)

• Improved pre- and post-release continuum• Improved prevention/diversion efforts

Advocacy and Policy

• Design Ban the Box agreements for employment• Establish housing authority waivers for public housing• Develop incentive systems for employers to hire formerly incarcerated people• Establish a Reentry Commission or agency

Public Awareness & Employment Opportunities

• “Mythbusters”: Education for employers about formerly incarcerated people• City-hosted opportunities for employers to meet formerly incarcerated people• Develop a city-wide workforce development initiative that would identify an appropriate industry and train formerly incarcerated people for jobs in that industry

Public Awareness & Culture Shifts

• Public education about reentry myths and facts• Structured opportunities for relationship-building within community• Develop and disseminate principles and practices of restorative justice (youth courts, community courts, circles)

Operations, Funding,Research & Training

• Develop training opportunities and identify appropriate trainers• Develop basic project-management information methods (website, email list, calendar)• Develop plan to create local services landscape and service assessment methods• Develop funding stream guideline and summary

15

Next Steps• So far, in meetings 1 & 2 we’ve been setting the stage to improve our

reentry system and turn the reentry strategic plan into a reality.

• In meetings 3-6 (September to January), we’ll be expanding the “learning” focus of the meetings, while also beginning to explore some ideas for “momentum teams” to move our collective work forward.

• Next meeting (September 27th) we’ll undertake a deeper dive into developing a One-Stop Center for reentry. We are planning to have representatives from Parole and Probation participate in that meeting’s presentation and activities.

• In the next weeks, the Safe Return Team will disseminate an electronic survey for service providers, to begin to create an updated repository of information about the state and needs of service providers. When you receive that survey, do your part and please complete it!

• Work groups that may be necessary

16

Meeting Dates

• How Often: Last Tuesday of every month

• What Time: Noon to 2:00 PM

• Dates & Places:

• Sept. 27: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, 11th and Macdonald

• October 25: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts

• November 29: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts

• No meeting in December

• January 31: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts

• Sign up: Text reentry to 22828