Where to Find Reentry Services in New York City

In New York City, there are a vast number of service providers that help formerly incarcerated citizens. Some are small and specialize in a particular area, and some are larger and offer a full range of services. Hopefully, you familiarized yourself with a number of providers while you were still on the inside, if not, this guide can help you choose which providers are best for you.

While I was still inside, I contacted The Fortune Society and the Osborne Association, and they sent me brochures detailing their services: employment, housing, education, and health and wellness. These two organizations are the largest and most established providers in New York City.

Within the first week, after I came home, I visited the Fortune Society’s office in Long Island City. I filled out an application for Fortune’s two-week work program, but I was attending my parole-mandated programs at the time, so that didn’t work out. I tried to sign-up for housing, but I was informed that housing applications for “The Castle” (Fortune’s housing option) were not being accepted because it was full (forever and always) and the waiting list was long. Needless to say, I was very disappointed, but this is one of the disadvantages of seeking services from such large organizations. That said, people still turn to Fortune because it offers a wide range of services for all, and these services are networked seamlessly.

The Fortune Society (fortunesociety.org)

I never made it to the Osborne Association, but its work-training programs have an excellent reputation. Osborne provides as wide a range of services as Fortune does, and it has more locations around the city. In addition, Osborne is re-developing a former prison in the Bronx into a community reentry center offering transitional housing for people coming home from prison and jail. Osborne has several locations in New York City:

The Osborne Association (www.osborneny.org)

I did make it to the Exodus Transitional Community. Exodus is another full-service reentry organization.

Exodus Transitional Community is a Preventative, Advocacy, and reentry organization with a firm belief in human resilience. Exodus delivers innovative programming tailored to adults and youth affected by the justice system and advocates for a society in which all can achieve social, economic, and spiritual well-being.

Exodus Transitional Community’s Programs are offered at no cost. They provide a 2-fare metro card along with a hot cooked meal served at 12pm daily, interview clothes if needed, 1 year of case management, one on one or group therapy sessions with a licensed therapist, pet therapy, Art therapy, and on-site Job developers.

Exodus Transitional Community offers the following additional services:

Employment Services – Wilderness Workshop, job placement, and retention support services up to one-year post-placement. They also offer case management and housing placement assistance. SST 9Site safety training onsite. Referrals to CDL, Food Handling, and Security/Fire Guard training.

Wellness Center – OASAS-licensed substance use disorder treatment clinic – groups and individual counseling. They are scheduled to receive our OASAS Integrated Behavioral Health License by June 2021 in order to provide mental health services.

Youth Programs – They offer 6 programs for young people: ARCHES, NEXT Steps, ARCHES Alumni, Common Unity, NeON Works, and the Women & Girls Project.

New York County Reentry Task Force – they oversee the Task Force and provide care coordination for 140 people released from prison annually. They also provide Moral-Reconation Therapy (MRT), Interactive Journaling, and CBI-EMP.

Alternatives-to-Incarceration – they provide programming in lieu of incarceration. For people facing misdemeanor or felony charges in the Borough of Manhattan or who reside in Manhattan, you can participate in 4, 6 or 12 months of programming. Participants engage in Transformative Mentoring, Civic Engagement and Leadership Development groups. They also have access to workforce development opportunities.

Center for Trauma Innovation – offering traditional and non-traditional forms of therapy (such as art or music therapy) for individuals who have experienced trauma/incarceration.

At Exodus, I signed up for a work program that helps you craft your resume and find jobs offered by ex-offender-friendly employers. They served breakfast and lunch every day of the program, and they even make sure you have the right clothes to wear to an interview.

Exodus Transitional Community (www.etcny.org)
2271 Third Avenue (at 123rd Street)
Suite 800
New York, NY 11201
917-492-0990

Another reentry organization that I visited is Network Support Services. Network is smaller than Fortune and Osborne, but although it serves approximately 1,000 incarcerated and paroled men and women annually, the people there deal with you on a very personal basis. They sent my resume out to a couple of hiring managers and provided me with a list of employers who are known for hiring formerly incarcerated citizens. In addition, as its one-pager details, “Network provides its members intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic support, re-entry planning, access to training and job placement activities, housing, family counseling, as well as post-release cognitive behavioral therapy and connection to community-based wraparound services in order to allow its members to rebuild their lives and to strengthen their families and their communities.”

Network Support Services, Inc. (www.networkssi.org)
555 Bergen Avenue
3rd Floor
Bronx, N.Y. 10455
347-584-8601

Check out Network’s one-pager here.  And its brochure here.

Center for Community Alternatives, Inc. (www.communityalternatives.org)
25 Chapel Street
7th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-858-9658

Contact: Sarah Schwartz, LMSW, CASAC-T
Substance Use Counselor, Adult Services
(she, her, hers)
sschwartz@communityalternatives.org

Second Chance Reentry – They provide medical, educational, employment, and treatment programs with a focus on ex-offenders.

America Works – An employment resource that is available to ex-offenders.

The Doe Fund – An organization that assists many at-risk populations including ex-offenders.

College and Community Fellowship – They help female ex-offenders pursue higher education.

Next Door Project – The Next Door Project helps ex-offenders with legal and employment services.

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) – CEO is an employment resource that is only available to men and women on parole or probation.

Providence House – A faith-based agency based in Brooklyn. They help women with transitional housing.

These are only a few of the numerous reentry resources available in New York City. There are countless more to check out in the New York Public Library publication,  Connections 2021: A free guide for formerly incarcerated people in New York City.

Note: thereentryblog.com is not affiliated in any way with any of the programs & organizations listed here.