About the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative
Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and is host to the largest number of individuals returning from state prison. There are so many barriers that formerly incarcerated individuals must navigate upon release, including finding housing and employment, the stigma of being an “ex-offender” and the repair and renewal of supportive and healthy relationships with families and friends.
Formerly incarcerated individuals returning home after serving a sentence in state prison — and their families — face enormous obstacles in the challenging journey of reentry and must overcome a number of complex challenges as they work to reintegrate into society. Our Council Reentry Program sits among a wide variety of providers and is anchored by the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative.
The Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative is a network of organizations partnering to promote successful reentry and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and reduce recidivism in Central and South Los Angeles. Launched as an initiative of Beyond Us and Them, the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative supports a wide network of reentry service providers in Los Angeles, as one of 37 Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) funded by CACHI.
Incarceration in California is a public health crisis
The wellbeing of system-impacted populations presents an enormous challenge and addressing this need is a necessary facet in improving the overall public health conditions of Los Angeles. California, and Los Angeles in particular, is home to very large populations of system-impacted people and the health and wellness needs of individuals involved in the reentry process are critically important. Cycles of incarceration, reentry and recidivism are complicated and multidimensional. Addressing this complex need calls for the mobilization of a strong, interwoven network of providers, resources and solutions.
Our ACH seeks to engage the emergent collective wisdom of a diverse, interconnected, multi-sector collaboration to respond to this profound challenge. The LA Reentry Collaborative operates in an interdisciplinary manner, weaving together organizations from several sectors, including but not limited to healthcare organizations and hospitals, community based organizations, case management services, peer therapy providers, residential facilities and homeless shelters.
Members of the LA Reentry Collaborative ACH provide a range of critical services to those individuals on the journey of reentry and reintegration, including prison in-reach services, warm handoff support, professional training, counseling services, housing, educational opportunities, tattoo removal, case management and linkages to providers throughout the reentry process.
Members of the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative listen in to dialogue on reducing recidivism in South and Central Los Angeles.
California is home to one of the largest prison populations
Los Angeles County has one of the largest populations of system-impacted people in the country. One third of the individuals released from California state prisons now return to the Los Angeles area. Central Los Angeles is a major transit center and, as a result, many individuals on the path of reentry end up in the area.
Central and South Los Angeles also consist of many neighborhoods that have historically been harmed by racially biased practices and policies and have been negatively impacted by over-policing. For these and other reasons, the health and wellness of individuals on the journey of reentry presents a critical challenge that must be addressed as part of the public health and wellness priorities of Central and South Los Angeles.
Beyond Us & Them saw a need to transform and resource police officers in Los Angeles and nationwide. Out of this need the POWER training program for law enforcement was born. The Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy & Resilience (POWER) training program is an evidence-based, 12-week intensive program to support first responder physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
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