After spending years behind bars, integrating back into a society in which you’ve not been a part of is an experience beyond overwhelming. Former inmates often re-enter a world where family and friends have either passed on or moved away, so they are left with nothing – literally. The prison system does little, if anything at all, to assist in this transition. The high rate of recidivism can be directly attributed to this broken transition. Coming Home to Stay is a community project that addresses the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals, placing them on a path to self-discovery as well as a healthy, prosperous life.
Led by Mr. Jim Sanders, who serves as Program Director and Consultant, Coming Home to Stay is more than just a program that provides a new life direction, but a complete lifestyle change. “Reentry goes so much farther than just the surface,” says Mr. Sanders. “We like to ask our clients, ‘How can we help you to be a greater person.’”
Built on a solid foundation, Coming Home to Stay believes in the ability of every person to change and the power of respectful, trusting, truthful relationships. Every staff member and volunteer is trained and held accountable for the following core values required to restore individuals, renew families, and rebuild communities.
Coming Home to Stay is comprised of a dedicated group of individuals including providers and peer mentors who work together to assess and refer participants to the appropriate programs and services. These providers and peer mentors offer support services in six major areas including assessment and life planning, legal and vital documents, housing and finance, education, training and employment, health and medical and family and relationships.
The most interesting and powerful aspect of Coming Home to Stay are the client – provider meetings. These intense meetings introduce the clients tothe group in an intimate setting where multiple organizations are represented. Mr. Sanders leads these meetings, as the providers and peer mentors offer supportive and compassionate, yet assertive advice to the client. The client discusses their past and reasons for incarceration, and the group offers solutions to becoming a productive citizen – hence the name,Coming Home to Stay.
“One thing about this program, is that you make the plan,” says Mr. Sandersto a client.
Coming Home to Stay advocates that a successful reentry project involves work throughout three different time frames; in-custody (up to 6 months before release), coming home (release to 2 years) and staying home (2-5 years after release). However, due to regulations governing how the program works with people who were incarcerated, Coming Home to Staybegins its work with recently released individuals. They coordinate with existing programs inside the prisons when possible.
Currently, San Diego is expected to receive anywhere from 400 – 800 inmates who will be released early. To support these individuals, ComingHome to Stay looks to expand as it currently only services the City Heights and Southeastern San Diego neighborhoods.
“What we’re doing is really digging deep into the problem,” emphasized Mr. Sanders. Coming Home to Stay is intense, involved and life-changing. For more information, please contact Mr. Jim Sanders at (619) 527-6161 or email at [email protected].
