TRENDS Diary is a place for Boulder County residents of all ages to share personal experiences that relate to a pressing community need. The focus, for now, is on our shared need to connect and solve problems, despite the increased isolation we're all experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Foundation of Boulder County publishes the TRENDS Diary and invites those who wish to tell their story to submit it here.
Dear TRENDS Diary,
Emily: Re-entry Initiative was established by Deborah Simmons in 2015 to provide support prior to and following release from prison.
Hannah: We meet for eight months or longer with women in prison before their release. We do transition planning: housing, food, clothing, jobs. And mental health counseling. There’s a lot of substance history, trauma history, abuse history in this population.
Emily: There hasn’t been one recidivism from the time I and Hannah came on in 2018. The relationship we’ve established inside is what keeps our women out. Even when they have a hiccup, they aren’t afraid to pick up the phone and call us.
Hannah: Because of COVID, we are not allowed into facilities. Face-to-face care is nonexistent. We are maintaining contact virtually.
Emily: It’s actually helped us re-engage with women who have moved farther away.
Hannah: We’re still doing releases. We are there at the gates, with masks on, and everything they need.
Emily: The Department of Corrections has been doing more releases, so we’ve seen a dramatic increase in referrals. Typically, we get one to four a month; now we’re seeing 10 a week.
Financial donations are paramount to keep operations up. Gift cards are very helpful. We are trying to stock up our mens closet of needs: deodorant, razors, shaving cream, soap, cologne.
For women, we need hygiene products, makeup. You’d be surprised how giving a woman mascara and blush can bring back her soul.
We’d love to start networking with employers and landlords, because a felony makes it very difficult to find a job or stable housing.
Hannah: 98% of people in the prison get released. These are our neighbors: they rent homes next to us, they’re in grocery stores with us. If they are successful, our community is successful and safer.
- Hannah Astorga, Program Manager, and Emily Kleeman, Executive Director, The Reentry Initiative, as told to Shay Castle
