March 31, 2009
I personally want to thank all who attended, and thanks, Lynette and Jenny, for typing up minutes from the meeting. Please take a look at the notes below. Please call me if you have further questions or concerns. Omar K. Shabazz 973-643-2205 x218
The next meeting will be April 28th, hosted by Integrity House.
Members in attendance:
Nichele Wilson (NJISJ)
Rasheed Jackson (NJISJ)
Lamont Porterfield (NJISJ)
Anibal Alvelo (La Casa)
Donna Morgan (Goodwill)
Nkosi Remy (Goodwill)
Kevin Kurdizel (ECC)
Yury Tarnavskyj (Integrity House)
Robert Parkinson (Integrity House)
Warren Thompson (OAR)
Pat Clark (AFSC)
Lynette Marsh (AFSC)
Omar Shabazz (AFSC)
Johnnie Green (CIC)
Abdul Wali (Anchor of Hope)
TOPICS SPOKEN ON
"What's New In Your Agency"
Nichelle Wilson (New Careers) introduced Lamont Porterfield, their new Case Manager
OAR, La Casa Renaissance Center were awarded monies
OAR is preparing for money program development
Anibal Alvelo (La Casa) is having a job fair at Essex County, May 14th. About 80 employers with be there. (Jacqueline Johnson from La Casa will report how and who is hiring our clients.) Anibal also invited Network members to give him any information they'd like distributed inside prisons, because he is doing pre-release workshops.
Kevin Kurdziel has a list of potential employers to hire our clients.
Kevin reports how job fairs are not usually effective for the ex-offender population -- some recruiters don't consider ex-offenders for jobs.
Pat and Omar (AFSC): Preparation for housing, “Building permanent housing for those coming home”
Omar discussed job training that might be on the horizon:
-Tunnel Jobs: NJ Transit in conjunction with Local 147 is offering tunnel worker training through the Local 147 Tunnel Wokers Training Fund and Application. For more information, refer to this website (click "training" tab).
-Baseball Stadium: Need to follow up on Bear Stadium Applications (March 25 – 26)
Omar: "collectively can we network with an employer?"
A general discussion was held about Essex County College and projects besides Project Reconnect: Wise Women's Center and FORGE. Warren mentioned the work Darcella Sessoms is doing with FORGE (Department of Corrections Re-entry).
Anival: Would like to be able to pick employer and work with them and not set the client up for failure. We should try to sell an individual rather than the entire population.
We discussed that Desmoines, Iowa has a successful reentry program for getting jobs for ex-offenders. We should take a look at what they're doing that's working.
Warren asked, "Can we build a One-Stop within ourselves?"
Re-Visit mission: In your opinion, what is our purpose?
Kevin (ECC-Single Stop-Next Stop) –sharing best practices, what’s new – blog is great
Warren (OAR)– Strength in unity, funding opportunities for network, no clear cut definition
Lynette (AFSC) – develop a chain link and keep it going, get flow going and maintain it
Robert (Integrity House) – eliminate competition and come up with solutions
New Careers -- employment, resources available
Johnnie Green – project coordinator for re-entry with CIC (Churches in Cooperation, Inc.), also does mentoring.
Nkosi Remy (Goodwill) – get everybody's mission, re-entry focus “I want to be your resource to keep them employed” Also does mentoring.
Lamont Porterfield, LCSW (New Careers), Case Manager
Johnnie Green – project coordinator for re-entry with CIC (Churches in Cooperation, Inc.), also does mentoring.
Nkosi Remy (Goodwill) – get everybody's mission, re-entry focus “I want to be your resource to keep them employed” Also does mentoring.
Lamont Porterfield, LCSW (New Careers), Case Manager
-he discussed best practices
-mental health not being addressed
-some clients have no intentions of getting a job
-Diagnosis from prison: people don't always come home with the right information to get the care they need
LaCasa – Want to build a one-stop; be comfortable with reliable, ultimate services
Goodwill – I want to be a group of people that use all part to be a whole
-Diagnosis from prison: people don't always come home with the right information to get the care they need
LaCasa – Want to build a one-stop; be comfortable with reliable, ultimate services
Goodwill – I want to be a group of people that use all part to be a whole
Identifying Key Objectives: "What are your strengths?"
Nichelle – network has a variety of skills and services; take time to tap into each other services
Warren – OAR has a contract with Bergen Pines Medical Center--intake for alcohol, opiate detox
Warren mentioned that we should all be apprehensive about revealing mental status (sharing with other agencies), discussed the importance of Ethics, Confidentiality
People leaving prison have only 2 weeks of medication for mental health, then they're on their own
OAR does Van pick up for detox (call for more information):
Monday: Bethel Worldwide Outreach: 65 Pierce Street, Newark (973 787-2214)
Tuesday in front of OAR (1064 Clinton Ave., Irvington) (973 373-0100)
Robert: Inegrity House does substance abuse treatment
Yury – Integrity House Recovery, Reentry Corrections and Parole
Continuum of care
NJ State Prison
Seeking support and sharing what he’s doing – recovery support system
Can we do some simple things and get something done collectively?
Remember we’re working with human beings
All want job training and readiness
Nkosi said Goodwill's strength is mentoring.
Grace Reform – House of Hope, for men and women
New Careers' strengths: Job Readiness, training, healthcare, childcare, housing
Anibal: La Casa does pre-release programs inside of prisons. If you'd like to have information distributed, Anibal can make that information available to the prisoners.
Interfaith Hospitality Network, S. Orange, NJ (no Medicaid; 60 day stay)
Open Discussion Topics:
Lamont from New Careers spoke about developing a providers network resource guide for re-entry (with a quarterly review, and updated contacts)
Contracts: We want to help people who are willing to help themselves, so let's develop a contract for our clients (mutual respect, responsibilities, etc)
Clusters of specialized services--continuing to strengthen our information base by having network members who work in similar areas share information and work together on issues, reporting back to the main body
Contracts: We want to help people who are willing to help themselves, so let's develop a contract for our clients (mutual respect, responsibilities, etc)
Clusters of specialized services--continuing to strengthen our information base by having network members who work in similar areas share information and work together on issues, reporting back to the main body
Potential Clusters: Physical and Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Employment, Housing, Mentoring, Spirituality/Faith, Legal, Education, etc.
Upcoming Events:
Integrity House – will host next meeting April 28
We will try to get Erin Healy from the Corporation for Supportive Housing to discuss housing opportunities and the Mayor's Task Force to End Homelessness in Newark.
La Casa – will host May 26th
New Careers – will host June 23rd
Dear Provider colleagues- There is an important opportunity strategize and organize to link or direct service work with statewide policy reform on FRIDAY JUNE 26. I hope you can participate.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Dear Wonderful Supporters--
As many of you know, NJ law makers have been engaged in a serious exploration of our criminal justice policies and practices. Last Fall, under the leadership of our Assembly Majority Leader, we launched a series of "Counting the Costs" community-based, public hearings across the state of NJ. We began the work with a "listening session" where many of you who were most directly affected by CJ policies--advocates, providers, formerly/currently incarcerated people, family members, etc--came and presented your top policy recommendations to a panel of legislators. From there, a representative "working group" was developed to help guide the hearing process and shape the resulting policies. Between mid-Nov. and late March, we held 7 hearings and 1 roundtable discussion on the following topics: families and incarceration; sentencing reform; education/training/treatment; mental health/health care; prison conditions; women; reentry/reintegration rights; and the juvenile waiver law. More than 1500 people attended and more than two hundred testimonies were given and recorded to over twenty legislators.
The current "Counting the Costs" Working Group has been working hard with the Majority Leader to create a comprehensive package of legislation that responds to what we heard during the hearings and begins to tackle NJ's seemingly unending cycle of arrest, incarceration, and reentry, and reincarceration.
As you have been involved with this process and have made valuable contributions to date, we would like to extend an invitation for you to join the next phase of this important work. We are transitioning to a new stage of organizing and we would like to invite you to attend an "Informational Meeting" about our process to date and the need to further strategize and organize support around the legislation you have helped shape.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING:
Friday, JUNE 26th
11am -1pm
Location: TBA
Trenton, NJ
Please email Margaret Quern Atkins at mquern@drew.edu and indicate your availability and/or interest in participating in the session on June 26th where we will offer updates on the progress to date and begin planning our next steps in this transformative movement.
Shalom,
Margaret Q Atkins
Coordinator, "Counting the Costs" Hearings NJ Assembly Majority Office 856-952-5140 (cell)