Housing has the potential to be a piece of a conduit to reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals

This $1,000,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative (CFDA 16.812) aims to create a "Smart Housing Reentry Initiative" that will increase housing options and provide other services to support the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals in Clark County, Ohio.

The Mental Health Recovery Board of Clark, Greene and Madison Counties, in partnership with the Clark County Department of Reentry, will use the funding to address gaps in the current system by adding a housing specialist and peer support, as well as providing rapid rehousing assistance. The initiative will also focus on data collection and analysis to inform system improvements and the use of best practices to increase access to stable housing and services for this population. The Clark County Department of Reentry will receive at least 40% of the grant funding as a sub-recipient, as they exclusively serve a population of returning citizens, many of whom are from historically underserved and marginalized communities.

IT also holds a promise in reducing the human and community cost of a return to prison. Housing tied to other assistance and linkage to a range of health care, support services and employment forms a necessary network for returning citizens. The mental health recovery board of clark, greene and madison counties (MHRB), in partnership with the clark county department of reentry and other community partners proposes to create a smart housing reentry initiative that increases housing options for returning male and female citizens and offers other services and supports to increase the successful return for program participants in clark county, ohio. We plan to address gaps in the current system by increasing support with the addition of a housing specialist and peer supports and providing rapid rehousing assistance. We also intend to collect data aimed at system improvements and utilizing best practices to address access to stable housing and services that increase the potential for this population. The MHRB is a unit of local government and the statutory authority for mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention. The clark county department of reentry will serve as the subrecipient receiving at least 40 percent of the requested funding because they exclusively serve a population that consists of returning citizens made up of individuals who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by inequity. This trauma informed approach will assist people of color, individuals impacted by trauma, violence, crime, mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Evaluation and data analysis will be provided by a regional company skilled in grant evaluation, data collection, quantitative and qualitative analysis. The focus of this effort is to increase access to safe and affordable housing for those reentering clark county, ohio from incarceration.