PEOPLE FIRST REENTRY

Our two reentry homes totaling eight bedrooms for eight people at a time, are safe, supportive homes for women, men, and nonbinary folks returning from prison.​ We believe people returning from prison deserve the same respect, equity, and support everyone else deserves. We fiercely support each person’s freedom to define what “thriving” looks like for them and to pursue the goals they set for themselves. We welcome residents to stay for as long as they need to – this is a space for residents to gain their bearings, breathe easy, and feel safe as they figure out their path in the world at their own pace. 

During their stay, residents can count on their basic needs being met – clothing, food, transportation, a safe place to sleep – and become part of a mutually supportive community. Together, residents in the house create their community. Collectively, they make all the decisions that relate to their living conditions. The only “rule” in our reentry houses is reflected in our name, ahimsa, a Sanskrit word that means “do no harm.” When conflicts and new challenges arise, we trust ourselves and each other to work things out through honest communication. 

In our housing community, we host a monthly potluck and check-in circle; we support the unique needs of each participant, i.e. from learning to use public transportation to navigating cell phones; we offer residents opportunities for personal counseling, classes in finance, cooking, or other modalities that come to the house; and we invite residents into opportunities to volunteer or attend community events in Oakland. 

Additionally, we have one Next Step house with four bedrooms. Next Step housing is a space where people transitioning out of any reentry house in the East Bay pay subsidized rent and build a credit history. 

In our locality, we support people coming home from prison through rides home, which include a warm pick-up at the gate, meals, an opportunity to go shopping, and a smooth and safe transition to their first night outside of prison. We frequently connect recently released people who call us with the resources in our community, job opportunities, programs at other organizations, invitations to join our potlucks and events, and connections to counseling if that is what they seek. 

Nationally, to support the growth of just and human-centered reentry, we offer collaboration, mentorship, and training to community leaders building reentry efforts in their locality. Our hope is to help build a strong network of formerly incarcerated-led reentry across the country. By doing so, we hope to stop the spread of exploitative approaches to reentry housing in which private entities profit from the struggles of the people they purport to serve and divert private and state resources to person-centered reentry led by formerly incarcerated people.