Program Example

The Foundation encourages behavior change through a structured, supportive, “market driven” environment where individual responsibility and accountability are emphasized. Participants are required to stay in the program for two years, although the average stay is about four years. When participants arrive they live in dorm-style rooms with as many as nine roommates and take on basic chores such as mopping and cleaning the parks. The system at the Foundation is based on an “each one teach one” premise where participants learn from each other and hand down skills so that others can move into new work positions.

One of the first goals set for participants by the Foundation is to pass a high school equivalency test. Afterwards, participants learn skills at one of the Foundation’s training schools, which include a moving and trucking school, a restaurant, and an automotive service center.

All the staff members at the Delancey Street operations have been incarcerated, were substance abusers, or were homeless. Most of the money from the Delancey businesses goes back into the community; residents get food, housing, and a small sum of money. Over 14,000 people have successfully graduated from the program and are leading independent lives. The Foundation has expanded over the years, and there are now about 1,000 residents in five facilities across the nation, located in New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Delancey is self-governed by a Board and resident councils that are one-third African American, one-third Latin American/American Indian, and one-third Caucasian. The Delancey Street Foundation has developed the Delancey CIRCLE or Coalition to Revitalize Communities, Lives, Education, and Economies. This coalition’s goal is to network with cities and states across the country to educate others about Delancey Street and to advocate for policies that support the Delancey Street model.

Outcomes