Community awareness resource entity of arizona will facilitate the successful transition and reentry of justice-involved individuals returning to the target area after a period of incarceration

The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $750,000 Project Grant under the Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative (CFDA 16.812) to the Community Awareness Resource Entity of Arizona (CAREaz), a non-profit organization based in St. Johns, Arizona. The grant will fund CAREaz to facilitate the successful transition and reentry of justice-involved individuals returning to southern Apache County, Arizona after a period of incarceration. Key activities include in-reach services, life skills education, transition planning, service coordination, peer support, case management, community coaching, temporary housing assistance, and civil legal aid. The project aims to promote successful reintegration, strengthen social support, and reduce recidivism rates among the target population, which includes both youth and adults from the Arizona Department of Corrections and Apache County Jail. The grant award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The primary activities for this project are: in-reach services, including life skills education and transition services; service coordination and tracking; peer support; case management; community coaching or mentoring; temporary housing assistance; and civil legal assistance services. Projected outcomes for the proposed project are as follows: justice-involved individuals in reentry will experience successful reintegration into the target area; social support in the target communities will be strengthened; and recidivism rates among persons in reentry will be reduced. The service area for this project is southern apache county in the tribal and nontribal areas located south of i-40. Communities include sanders, chambers, houck, wide ruins and other municipalities in the navajo nahata dziil chapter, and the towns of ST. Johns, eagar, springerville, vernon, and concho. The intended beneficiaries of this project are individuals involved in the justice system and their families. The project will serve both youth and adults and individuals in the arizona department of corrections prison system and the apache county jail.