Impact Justice

California women’s prisons have now reached deadly temperatures inside. And while incarcerated women are desperately trying to stay cool, as many as 40% are experiencing menopause symptoms at the same time. Going through menopause in prison is too often an excruciating experience, and rising temperatures make the situation far worse. It doesn't have to be this way. Learn more about our work to transform menopause care behind bars at https://lnkd.in/gSFpPA8c.

Impact Justice’s Alexander Busansky calls for more diverse and creative investments in criminal justice reform across the country at a time when funders are increasingly pulling away from these issues. It’s critical to remember: we’re not in a zero sum situation. Funders should keep investing - and investing more - in criminal justice work across the country, without pulling back from places that have seen success. In California and elsewhere, the work is far from over. 

If you’re in Los Angeles, you have an opportunity to fundamentally transform someone’s life by hosting with the Homecoming Project! The Homecoming Project is a groundbreaking program that places people recently released from prison with local homeowners who have a spare room and an open heart. To date, we've secured housing matches for over 100 formerly incarcerated people and every participant has left the program with stable housing of their own. After several years of successfully operating in the Bay Area, we’ve expanded the program to Los Angeles, where the need is significant: in recent years, thousands of people have been released from California's prison system to Los Angeles County without established housing. Get more information on hosting in Los Angeles at https://buff.ly/45TyPNR

As a founding member of the DC Jail Food Working Group, we work to address pervasive hunger and poor nutrition behind bars in the nation's capital. A survey of over 300 people in the DC jails revealed startling and concerning experiences: 7 in 10 reported having been served spoiled or rotten food - a number that rose to 8 in 10 for those who had been in jail longer than a year. Respondents reported constant feelings of hunger, mass food waste, and new or worsening health problems as a result of their diets. Today, the DC Jail Food Working Group is focused on improving nutrition standards for the jail's food service and expanding culinary training opportunities for jail residents. We're grateful to our partners in this work, and remain fiercely committed to transforming food behind bars for incarcerated people in DC and across the country. Read founding partner DC Greens’ full report on food in the DC Jails and learn more about our work together at bit.ly/jail-food-dc-23!

The deadline to submit proposals for subgrants through our National Housing Incubator is fast approaching! Download the RFP and learn more about our selection process at https://lnkd.in/guut4Ka8.

Today is all about freedom, and many people are celebrating that with their families - including Daaron, one of our first Homecoming Project participants in Los Angeles, and his host Philna. While most of our hosts and participants are total strangers entering the program, Philna and Daaron are family. That may be unique to the Homecoming Project, but their story mirrors countless other families stepping up to support loved ones experiencing or returning from incarceration. As a host with the Homecoming Project, Philna gets to provide a welcoming and stable home for Daaron while receiving a monthly stipend. As a participant, Daaron gets direct support from our team as he begins to rebuild his life. But don’t forget: most of our hosts and participants meet for the first time through the program, and many even become like family in the process. Change someone’s life by becoming a host with the Homecoming Project in Los Angeles. Get involved at buff.ly/3VMtlzO. Special thanks to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for creating this beautiful video!

Sometimes, you have to break the mold to find solutions - and last month, we had the incredible opportunity to tap into collective imagination in Birmingham, Alabama, along with other winners of the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge. We’re beyond grateful to Build Urban Prosperity (Build UP) for hosting us in their hometown, to TheCaseMade and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute for some truly incredible learning opportunities, and our partners at Enterprise Community Partners and Wells Fargo Foundation for making it all possible. Learn more about our work to disrupt the prison-to-homelessness pipeline at https://lnkd.in/g4XzbGEv!

75% of people we surveyed reported being served spoiled or rotten food in prison. Hardly any of them regularly had access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Food in prison could promote rehabilitation and support successful reentry - but that requires a new approach to food service that’s grounded in dignity and health rather than punishment and a bottom line. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gdNxJZpw.

Poised to become a national model, our California Justice Leaders partnership with Americorps and California Volunteers strategically leverages the wisdom and experiences of systems-impacted people to interrupt cycles of violence and crime. The program recruits and matches Justice Leaders with organizations across California to provide reentry coaching and mentorship to youth and young adults who are facing many of the same challenges they once did. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g7Uia-BZ!

We were beyond thrilled this week to see Ethan Ward’s beautiful story on the Homecoming Project for AfroLA win top prize in the Solutions Journalism category a the LA Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards ceremony! Ethan’s piece explains how shared housing programs like the Homecoming Project can help make a meaningful dent in the housing crisis, and beautifully captures the spirit and potential of the program. Most importantly, his work centers the people behind the numbers. Thank you, Ethan, for helping us shine a light on innovative solutions to some of the country’s most complicated problems -- and doing so with compassion, curiosity, and care.