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CGLA and LCLC launch legal services at all READI Chicago locations

We are excited to announce that beginning this month, Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) and Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) are available to provide various legal services to every READI Chicago participant. Many participants are working to address their background records and by providing these services, we hope to further increase their likelihood of future success.

CGLA will be providing criminal record screening and criminal records release, as well as helping participants get their records sealed or expunged. This removes the barriers created by a criminal record. Kimberly Mills, supervising attorney of criminal records for CGLA, said she hopes this can happen for every single READI Chicago participant.

“It’s beyond important; it’s essential,” Mills said. “The work we do allows people to live their lives as unlimited by their circumstances as possible. We need to remove the barriers that are created by the justice system.” 

CGLA is also available to provide consultations to men currently serving a sentence or on probation or parole. Mills stressed that this is important because individuals who complete education or job training programs, such as READI Chicago, while serving their sentence may petition the court to seal their conviction at the completion of their sentence. Typically, individuals must wait three years from the completion of their last sentence to petition to seal their criminal convictions.

While CGLA handles criminal record screening, LCLC will be providing legal assistance to READI Chicago participants, as well as providing assistance with electronic monitoring, advice on outstanding warrants, and training on legal rights and court advocacy.

LCLC can represent participants in bond court, work with staff to collect information, and contact family members to ensure the bond court is given as much information as possible. Cathryn Crawford, litigation director for LCLC, said the Center has had great success so far with READI Chicago participants in bond court, with almost everyone who has appeared being released.

“Not only can we help in defending the case, but we’re also really key to getting all the system actors, from the court to the prosecution to the judge, to see our clients as individuals and to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments, rather than viewing them from the lens of what their charge is,” Crawford said. “Our number one priority is keeping people out of jail, so that they can continue to develop in the READI Chicago program and get on a different path.”

One participant from the Austin READI Chicago site recently began receiving legal services and said it has been immensely helpful for him already.

“I’m a provider for a family of three, and by me being a convicted felon, it’s really hard to find a job,” he said. “I’m amazed how far they’re going for me. It’s helping me provide, and the lawyers really help me see all my options.”

Gathering Everyone Around the Table

Thanksgiving is a special time at Heartland Alliance. It provides staff members and participants the opportunity to connect with one another, and to reflect on our progress and successes. From refugees and immigrants celebrating the holiday for the first time, to survivors of trafficking and violence who have found peace in the past year, Heartland Alliance programs of all backgrounds had a chance to celebrate.

Freedom From Trafficking: Day of Thanks Celebration

Gathering participants, staff, interns, and volunteers to celebrate at Catalyst Ranch, our Freedom from Trafficking (FFT) program spent the holiday focusing on community and the things that bind us together. Attendees shared the things they’re grateful for on the “Tree of Thanks”—their lives, their families, the people who make them smile, their health, and “all the incredible people who make every day a step forward.”

Each year, the FFT team recognizes a local partner with the “Bridge to Freedom Award” during the celebration. This year, HHCS Executive Director David Sinski and FFT Associate Director Darci Flynn presented Kourtney and Lauren Seamen of Reach 77—a faith-based network of volunteers throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods—in recognition of their many years of contributions to the FFT and Heartland community. Among other supports, Kourtney and Lauren opened up a food pantry out of their storage room, donated money to help furnish survivors’ homes, adopted several families over the holidays to ensure they had gifts to open with their children, and provided housing for survivors facing homelessness.

Thanks to the Seamens and Reach 77 – we are truly grateful for you!

READI Chicago Celebration

READI Chicago outreach partner, UCAN, hosted a Thanksgiving celebration for the READI Chicago North Lawndale location. READI Chicago staff from UCAN, Lawndale Christian Legal Center, and the North Lawndale Employment Network joined participants for food, music, and thanks. During the celebration, participants received awards for timeliness and participation in cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as recognition for advancing to Stage 2 in their transitional jobs.

Marjorie Kovler Center Cooking Group

This Thanksgiving, staff and participants from many programs gathered to cook, eat, and give thanks for the communities, opportunities, and safety they have found through Heartland Alliance. The Marjorie Kovler Center celebrated Thanksgiving with an international cooking group. Survivors of torture and their families came together to share recipes and memories from back home. The result? A globally inspired Thanksgiving meal like no other!

Refugee and Immigrant Community Services – RICSGIVING

Our refugee resettlement team loves to celebrate their annual tradition, where new Americans from around the city gather to eat, connect, and enjoy the holiday season – with some enjoying Thanksgiving for the very first time! Students created “Gratitude Jars” where they decorated mason jars and filled them with little notes about things in their lives that they’re grateful for, as well as painted pictures to hang near the “Gratitude Turkey.”

Students also selected feathers on our Gratitude Turkey and wrote one thing they’re thankful for.

The Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (RICS) team is particularly thankful for their longtime partner and supporter, East Bank Club. The River North fitness club has been a longtime employer of numerous new Americans, providing them the opportunity necessary to rebuild their lives in Chicago. Every Thanksgiving, the team at EBC give their employees the option to donate their Thanksgiving Day turkeys to our resettlement programs. Thank you!

READI Chicago participants attend talk by founder of Homeboy Industries

READI Chicago staff and three participants from the North Lawndale site attended the Ruth Knee Lecture on Spirituality and Social Work at the University of Chicago on Nov. 1. The event featured Father Gregory Boyle, founder of California’s Homeboy Industries, the largest gang reentry and rehabilitation program in the world.

Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra opened the event, discussing the importance of social work, noting that opportunity is so often dependent on access, and stressing that experiences are meaningful regardless of mistakes and obstacles. Eddie is an alum of the university’s School of Social Service Administration and thanked Interim Dean Deborah Gorman-Smith for providing the opportunity.

Father Boyle, who brought along two Homeboy Industries participants, discussed the importance of mutuality in service, urging the audience to view their work not as service provider and recipient, but rather as a mutual human connection and understanding. Both Father Boyle and the two participants emphasized the role that trauma plays in violence and gang activity and acknowledged that healing is a vital step in the road to rehabilitation.

“A healed gang member will not ever go back to prison,” Father Boyle said.

“Their stories are examples of transformation and resiliency,” Eddie said. “They offer hope and remind us that we belong to each other and are therefore responsible for one another. This population is worthy of investing and believing in.”

Heartland Alliance features READI Chicago at Annual Dinner

Heartland Alliance’s Annual Dinner took place on Oct. 11, featuring two READI Chicago participants and Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra.

During the event’s cocktail hour, attendees browsed a photo gallery of participants of various Heartland Alliance programs, including a READI Chicago Austin participant working at his job at Freedman Seating. The event culminated in a panel discussion, moderated by President Evelyn Diaz, about reducing barriers to employment with Eddie, READI Chicago Englewood participant Mendai, and Mike Brady of Greyston Bakery.

Panelists shared personal stories about how access to opportunity has shaped their lives and discussed how both READI Chicago and Greyston are helping to remove barriers to employment for those who are marginalized, including people with criminal backgrounds.

Greyston employs an open hiring model, hiring anyone willing to work and forgoing a formal interview and background check. Greyston focuses on removing obstacles to job success by providing access to supports and services, a model which READI Chicago hopes to bring to Chicago.

Mendai said he was grateful to have the opportunity to build awareness and share his story, adding that he hopes his voice can help impact employers to reduce barriers to hiring justice-involved individuals.

“You don’t have to put somebody in a box,” Mendai said. “People can change and outgrow that box and outgrow the perceptions people have of them. It doesn’t have anything to do with background. It depends on one person giving them a chance.”

READI Chicago launches Participant Advisory Committee

READI Chicago is launching a Participant Advisory Committee that will consist of three elected participants from each READI Chicago site. The purpose of this group is to provide READI Chicago leadership with insights and ideas on behalf of participants. The PAC will be elected on Dec. 4, and representatives will meet every other week and receive leadership development training.

Throughout READI Chicago’s first year, participants have made clear that they want to share their thoughts in order to influence the initiative. The hope is that through the PAC, participants can help shape READI Chicago and reinvest in the initiative to ensure its success and that of the men it serves.

“These guys are our biggest stakeholders, and their thoughts and concerns matter a lot, maybe more than anyone else’s,” Participant Advisory Committee Coordinator Nick Loumos said.

Englewood Community Project Manager Marlon Chamberlain said he hopes for the PAC to empower participants and include them in improving the READI Chicago model.

“When you empower folks from the community to solve their own problems and give them the resources to do so, that’s how you develop leadership,” Marlon said. “I’d like to see the PAC really help shape the new READI Chicago crew chiefs, managers, outreach, aldermen, and state representatives.”

The ability to take ownership of one’s narrative and shape the conversation around violence in Chicago is critical, as the population served by READI Chicago is so often villainized in local and national media. The PAC will allow participants to exert control and investment over their initiative while preparing them to be future leaders in their communities and continue the important work changing the narrative of violence in Chicago.

The Importance of Transitional Jobs

One of the best interventions to reduce violence is a job, say experts. Not only does it mean a paycheck, but it also brings structure, a sense of belonging, and self-esteem to chaotic lives.

Miguel A. Cambray sees the power of employment every day. As director of career pathways for READI Chicago, he is responsible for developing relationships and partnerships with the employers who are crucial to the success of the program. These companies onboard participants for paid transitional employment opportunities, allowing the men to experience the pride of earning honest money – many for the first time.

“READI Chicago is about more than just a job,” Cambray said. “It’s about an opportunity to change yourself, the people around you and where we live.”

Participants start with an entry-level, subsidized job, such as cleaning up the parks for the Chicago Park District, at $12 an hour. Then, they move into work that calls for more skill, such as manufacturing. Finally, at 18 months, the goal is to qualify for an unsubsidized job in fields such as commercial driving or construction.

Minimum wage may not sound like much of an incentive to get off the streets, “but at least no one is shooting at me,” said one participant. “It also makes me feel good.”

That’s because when participants are cleaning up parks, they’re actually revitalizing their own neighborhoods. Or, if they’re working at another employer, Freedman Seating, they’ll know their labor resulted in seating for the CTA, Cambray explained.

“Anytime they visit the park with their kids or ride the bus, they’ll see things differently. They know they contributed and that they’re a part of something much bigger.”

Cambray, who joined Heartland Alliance last year, wasn’t always able to embrace such a broad perspective. Growing up in Little Village, he had an up-close view of poverty and trauma; of too many weapons and too little access to opportunity.

His similar background, experience, and education – he’s pursuing a doctorate in community psychology from National Louis University – gives him credibility and a keen understanding of what it takes to break the cycle of violence.

At READI Chicago, some 40 percent of the clients are either on probation or parole. Additionally, many have complex needs, such as housing, food, and transportation that have kept them from being employable. But the biggest challenge Cambray faces every day? Teaching patience.

“A lot of our guys require immediate gratification, and anything that prolongs that gratification increases anxiety for them,” he explained.

The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – another essential piece of the READI Chicago model – can help clients address their impulsive behavior. The thrice-weekly sessions also teach the soft skills (getting along with peers, accepting constructive criticism, etc.) required to be a good employee. “Some of the men feel ready to be placed right now, but if they went to a traditional workplace, they wouldn’t last and it would just be more failure.”

Jacqueline Summerville-White agrees. As community project manager for Austin/West Garfield Park, she manages employer relationships and knows that just showing up can be a challenge for many of the participants. However, learning is a two-way street, she said.

“What I love about READI Chicago is that it’s not just the men who are developing professional skills, but the staff, as well. Because if our staff doesn’t have an understanding of how to connect with them, they can’t give their all to the participants.”

When recruiting potential employers, the team looks for partners who understand the model and want to be a part of the solution.

“It’s been awesome for us,” said Gail Dunn, labor foreman for the Chicago Park District, which has employed hundreds of participants across the city. “They’re working hard enhancing the beauty of Humboldt Park – and making a big impact.”

What would Dunn like to tell potential partners who may question hiring ex-offenders?

“That these guys are human beings, just like us. They’ve got families like us and bills like us. That acceptance and understanding will serve us much better than fear,” she said.

As for those who are still caught in the revolving door of crime and incarceration, Dunn has one message: “You need to know that there is a better, safer alternative. You need to know that people are fighting for you, to give you a brand new start.”

Responding to Gun Violence in Chicago

Prison taught me a lot of things.

In 2008, I was released on parole after spending more than 14 years in prison. I have since earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work from Northeastern Illinois University and the University of Chicago, respectively.

Early on, in prison, I learned that most people looked exactly like me. They came from poor neighborhoods and from families overwhelmed by the struggles of day-to-day life, not to mention a lack of access to employment and education. Most of my fellow inmates had personally experienced violence and trauma. And, like me, their fight-or-flight instinct was on overdrive.

The men who rotated through what seemed like a revolving prison door shared the same goal as me—to never return. Somehow, many of us fell short. Nearly everyone who returned to prison lacked the same things—a plan for how to survive outside of prison; a network of people who would stick by them when they faced setbacks; and access to a support system to help them cope with feelings of hopelessness, loss, and frustration.

My understanding of these tenets has informed my work as a violence interrupter at Cease Fire, as the founding director of the YMCA’s Urban Warriors program, and now as a senior director at Heartland Alliance, where I lead READI Chicago—an ambitious initiative designed to address the needs of individuals who are most vulnerable to violence involvement and for whom traditional service models often don’t work.

Through READI Chicago, we are offering paid transitional jobs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other supports to individuals at highest risk of violence involvement to help decrease violence and create better futures. Together with men and women who are as committed as I am to tackling Chicago’s gun violence challenge, we are focusing on individual behavior change and creating access to opportunity and positive, nurturing relationships.

Specifically, READI Chicago has forged partnerships with employers who are willing to provide participants with practical job training and skills. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps participants learn how to slow down their thinking in times of stress and to control impulses. These skills take time to nurture and develop. Our 24-month program model provides ample time for participants to practice these skills on the job. And READI Chicago doesn’t give up on our participants—even when they encounter setbacks. We know progress isn’t linear. An evaluation led by the University of Chicago Urban Labs will determine whether our efforts have an impact on individuals and communities over time.

After spending much of my time in prison contemplating how my future would have meaning, my goal is clear—to use my experiences as a former gang member and inmate, as well as my formal education, to save lives, and to help others heal from trauma and create a way forward. READI Chicago has the potential to help men who share a similar background find and realize their own dreams for a safer and better future.

Creating The Space Between Impulse and Action

At the thrice-weekly therapy sessions, six or so men sit in a semi-circle, trying hard not to look vulnerable while discussing difficult emotions – a first for many.

As a group, the participants have determined their overarching goal: To stay out of prison and to stay alive.

Almost anywhere else, such an objective would seem simple; life stripped down to its most basic essence. But this is Englewood, one of the most dangerous communities in the city and these men have been identified as being at the highest risk for gun violence involvement.

They are here as part of READI Chicago, a pioneering new program that connects these individuals with jobs and a comprehensive array of supportive services – including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions such as this one, which has the potential to help keep emotions from boiling over into shootings, according to research at the University of Cincinnati.

The hope is that by investing in these lives now, we are also investing in the long-term safety of our city. CBT is based on a singular philosophy: Thoughts impact behavior, so if you can alter – or at least slow down – thinking, “it can open up different options that can lead to better outcomes,” said Joan Liautaud, Heartland Alliance Health’s senior director of clinical operations.

On this morning, Liautaud opens the session by reviewing expectations, followed by a check-in with each participant, indicated by a thumb’s up, sideways or down.

“I need to know if they’re carrying something heavy. Maybe they had a problem with their baby’s mother or had a buddy killed over the weekend,” said the psychologist, who has worked with both mentally ill and criminal-justice involved populations for more than 20 years.

Then, she moves to today’s topic: Giving and receiving constructive criticism, an essential skill for workplace success. But for many here, even the most benign feedback can seem like a personal attack.

They role play various scenarios, with Liautaud gently guiding them along the way. “What do you want to say? Where and when do you want to say it? What was going on in your body when you acted aggressively? How can we behave in a way that serves our higher goals of staying out of prison and staying alive?”

Since violence is often the result of split-second decision-making, a key part of CBT – and Liautaud’s mission – is to teach coping strategies to keep conflicts from escalating and rein in the surge of adrenaline that might spur someone to pick up a gun. She helps them pinpoint tools that would be effective in stressful situations, such as listening to music, counting backwards from 20 or even walking around the block – “all ways to slow down the automatic thoughts that have gotten them in trouble.”

After six months of working with the READI Chicago participants – some of whom have committed extremely violent crimes – Liautaud is keenly aware of not how their worlds are so different, but how much is shared. For example, almost every man has talked about the missed funerals of parents and other loved ones while they were in prison, she said.

“We always find the commonality between me and them, as we are all human beings.”

Outreach Workers: Using Their Past to Help Others Become Better Men

Marlon Chamberlain pulls his car onto Drexel Boulevard, where he spots a work crew diligently picking up trash.

“There are my guys,” he says, with a pride that borders on paternal. “Every day, someone will say something that tells me that this program is working.”

Just a few blocks away, Raymond Andrus is meeting with a young man, just out of Dixon Correctional Center. “That was me 15 years ago. “He’s smart, ambitious…and I can save him a whole lot of mess, if he’s willing.”

Across town, Daryl Pierce – aka “Blue” – is in Austin, exchanging some easy banter with another individual who was formerly incarcerated, still wavering about going straight. At one time, Pierce so dominated the West Side drug trade that he had 28 employees. 

“In my warped mind, I just thought of myself as Binny’s, giving people what they want….but, man, it’s a percentage game – and it always catches up with you.”  

Chamberlain, Andrus and Pierce are uniquely positioned to combat one of Chicago’s most intractable problems: Gun violence. As outreach workers for READI Chicago, they are on the front lines of a daily battle for the soul of our city. 

This innovative program was launched last fall with the goal of signing up 500 individuals who are most vulnerable to gun violence and offering them something better – paid transitional jobs, therapy and wrap-around supportive services for up to two years.

Outreach workers are deployed across four communities – North Lawndale, Austin, West Garfield Park and Greater Englewood – which make up 10 percent of the city’s population, but almost a third of its homicides.

On many days, convincing a man to change his life trajectory is an uphill climb. It can take weeks – even months – of relationship-building to finally get a green light. 

When talking with a potential candidate, “I never use the word ‘program,’ ” Chamberlain explained.  “I call it a ‘lifestyle.’ I’m not here to tell you to stop doing anything… I’m giving you an opportunity, with people who are willing to help you in whatever you want to do, whether that’s getting job skills or opening your own business.”

All three men have been involved in other anti-violence efforts –but each believe that READI Chicago’s approach is unique.

For starters, most of the outreach workers are born and raised in the neighborhoods they serve. They all have similar life experiences – gangs, drugs, poverty, school failure, involvement in the criminal justice system – which gives them both compassion for and credibility with participants.

“There’s nothing you can tell me that I haven’t heard before,” said Pierce, who has lost three cousins to homicide. “These younger guys…they all see the money and the fancy car, but there aren’t many who come out of this life successfully. For every one person driving that fancy car, nine others are in jail or dead. “If I could do it all over again, I’d take that entry-level job at McDonald’s.”

Second, there’s the precision targeting, provided by data from the University of Chicago Crime and Poverty Labs, which helps the staff really focus their energy and resources where it will have the most impact. 

Finally, this intervention is about the power of unwavering support. It’s about more carrot and less stick – or what Chamberlain calls “just loving on people.”

He cited a recent example of a homeless client, who arrived at the work site intoxicated. Rather than suspend him from the program, “we got him something to eat, some new clothes and he can come back tomorrow like nothing happened.”

Of course, there are critics clamoring for punitive measures, but the client’s consequences were limited to the loss of a day’s pay. “How does it help to cut someone off?” asked Chamberlain. “That same guy could pick up a gun, rob someone and get seven or eight years [in prison.] Meanwhile, he’s not getting the help he needs, so when he comes out, we’re just repeating the same cycle all over again.”

In the end, they said, the clients all want the same thing: They want to know if they can trust you, if you care about them and if you can make them better men.

“But really, it’s up to each individual to do the hard work,” said Pierce, who is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work. “Because if you don’t want to invest in yourself, who should?”

Groundbreaking Sealing Expansion Bill Signed

Governor Rauner Signs a Bill into Law that Expands Eligibility for Sealing Convictions, Providing Thousands of Illinoisans with Better Opportunities

Today, Governor Rauner signed HB2373, which creates better opportunities for people with criminal records by expanding the number of convictions that are eligible to be sealed under Illinois law. This legislation makes Illinois the nation’s leader in removing collateral consequences for people impacted by the criminal system and focuses on reducing recidivism to ensure that Illinois families can achieve positive outcomes associated with stable housing, access to employment and educational options.

In Illinois, about 45% of adults have some sort of criminal record. People with criminal records are
routinely denied opportunities for quality jobs, safe housing, and education. By expanding eligibility for
sealing, HB 2373 will help Illinoisans with a criminal record reach their full potential. Sealing allows
people to petition the court to remove records from public view and have an individualized decision
made by a judge.

“I have been partnering with the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI) and
colleagues on both sides of the aisle for years to help fix our broken system of collateral consequences
for those with criminal records,” said Representative Camille Lilly, who championed the bill. “This bill
shows huge progress in that work and will mean more opportunity for jobs, housing, and education for
thousands of Illinoisans.”

Under HB2373, most records can now be sealed and marks a big shift in allowing people to move
beyond their past. The bill has a limited number of convictions that will remain ineligible for sealing,
which include: records related to driving under the influence, domestic violence, harm to animals, and
sexual assault. Before today, Illinois law allowed for only nine convictions to be sealed.

“As the leading organization that helps people seal their criminal record, we anticipate that this law will
change the futures for thousands of individuals who felt there was no hope,” said Beth Johnson, Legal
Director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid.

Senator Don Harmon, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said, “It is fundamentally unfair that
someone who made a bad decision earlier in life should never be given a second chance. If these men
and women have paid their debt and served their sentence, they should not be shackled with a
document that forever deprives them of the ability to take care of themselves and their families.”

The bill was one of a number of bills signed today that will improve the lives for people who interact
with the criminal justice system. According to Governor Rauner, “Signing HB2373 is another important
step forward in our ongoing effort to make Illinois’ criminal justice system more efficient and effective.
This law will help people with criminal records obtain jobs, safe housing, and high-quality education,
thereby reducing the likelihood of re-incarceration.”

“Finally, I can have an opportunity to provide for my family and show society I am rehabilitated,” said
Karlos Lloyd, a leader with the FORCE Project (Fighting to Overcome Records and Create Equality) with
Community Renewal Society who will be personally impacted by the bill. “Now I can be a role model and
father figure to many young people who have doubted the system of rehabilitation.”

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Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI) – RROCI is a coalition spearheaded the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Community Renewal Society, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights. RROCI is committed to solutions driven with a community voice and believes that Illinois needs a fair system of justice that recognizes human dignity and that everyone deserves a meaningful future.

Heartland Alliance for Human Rights and Human Needs – Heartland Alliance, one of the world’s leading antipoverty organizations, works in communities in the U.S. and abroad to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety. It provides a comprehensive array of services in the areas of health, housing, jobs and justice – and leads state and national policy efforts, which target lasting change for individuals and society.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) – CGLA has been providing legal services to the community since 1973, and while our reach has expanded beyond the Cabrini Green neighborhood, our focus has narrowed to working for and alongside individuals, families and communities impacted by the direct and collateral consequences of the criminal justice system. Each year, over 6,000 people access CGLA’s services to remove or prevent barriers to employment and education caused by criminal records and to stabilize families and housing threatened by arrest or conviction. Through zealous legal services, social supports and systemic advocacy, CGLA seeks to strengthen individual lives, protect families, and mobilize communities impacted by arrest and incarceration.

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) – CCH is a statewide organization dedicated to advocating for policies
that curb and ultimately end homelessness in Illinois. We organize people who have been impacted by
homelessness including people with records, victims of trafficking, unaccompanied youth, low-wage workers, and
families. CCH’s ultimate goal is to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society are treated with respect, dignity, and value. We are committed to eliminating the structural inequalities that serve as barriers to achieving that goal.

Community Renewal Society (CRS) – CRS is a 135 year-old organization that works with people and communities to address racism and poverty. CRS transforms society towards greater justice and compassion. CRS works to inform organize and train faith communities and individuals to advocate for social and economic justice. FORCE (Fighting to Overcome Records and Create Equality) is a program of of CRS led by people with records, their families, and faith allies organizing to create change and justice for people with records.