Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., is investing $7.2 million to expand healthcare, education, housing, and employment opportunities for New Yorkers reentering their communities from jail or prison. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is providing these grants through its Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (“CJII”), which District Attorney Vance created using criminal forfeiture funds obtained through the Office’s settlements with international banks for violating U.S. sanctions.

District Attorney Vance has awarded grants of up to 3 ½ years totaling $7.2 million to help reentry providers develop strong and effective reentry services that mitigate many of the challenges of reentry and help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reintegrate into the community. The announcement follows the recent publication of a study by the Harvard Kennedy School, which shows that early interventions in health care, housing, employment and other social services may help to reduce recidivism for formerly incarcerated and reentering individuals.

Three organizations have been awarded grants to test and implement innovative reentry approaches or enhance and expand reentry services and supports they provide in order to address the multiple and wide-ranging needs of individuals returning from jail and prison:

• The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s NYC Health Justice Network
  • Award: $3,075,000
  • Primary demographic: People reentering Upper Manhattan after leaving jail or prison
  • Services and programming the award supports: The NYC Health Justice Network will link primary care sites to community based organizations in Upper Manhattan to serve the primary care and social service needs of reentering justice-involved individuals. The Network will implement trauma informed care in primary care clinics and train practices on the criminal justice system and associated health risks. Additionally, persons with a history of justice involvement will be recruited and employed as patient advocates and navigators to primary care and other necessary services, including housing, transportation, and employment services.

• The Prisoner Reentry Institute’s College Initiative Program
  • Award: $2,049,647
  • Primary demographic: People in New York City who have participated in college-in-prison programming while incarcerated and wish to continue their college education after returning to their community
  • Services and programming the award supports: The College Initiative (“CI”) program will assist people returning to New York City after incarceration in enrolling and succeeding in college in the community. CI will provide intensive academic counseling and mentoring services in the community to students and, to support this, expand alumni activities and develop workshops and resources to aid CI students who are parents in creating educational pathways for their children pre-K to college.

• The College and Community Fellowship’s Build-Out of Student Services
  • Award: $2,014,588
  • Primary demographic: Women soon to be released from jail or prison, and women who have been released from incarceration within the past 10 years who are living in New York City
  • Services and programming the award supports: Build-Out of Student Services (“BOSS”) will help formerly incarcerated women earn their college degrees and find career pathways. BOSS will enhance its existing Academic Support Program, and Peer Mentoring Program, as well as launch the Career Advancement Program.

A fourth organization was awarded a planning grant to create a blueprint for an innovative new model in reentry:

• The Osborne Association’s Kinship Reentry
  • Award: $75,000 planning grant
  • Primary demographic: Individuals reentering New York City neighborhoods after leaving New York State prisons or New York City jails
  • Services and programming the award supports: The Kinship Reentry pilot, modeled on the subsidies provided for kinship foster parents, will enable family members to take formerly incarcerated family members into their homes through subsidies. This kinship care would meet the immediate needs that many individuals have when leaving incarceration—securing housing and receiving familial support.