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OpenDoors
OpenDoors is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen communities by supporting the formerly incarcerated. The OpenDoors reentry program uses a holistic approach to support offenders as they prepare to leave prison, return home, and stabilize in the community. The agency's programs include discharge planning within Men’s Minimum Security, policy and advocacy on criminal justice issues, our one-stop Resource Center, our peer and one-on-one mentorship program, and our regular workshops in job readiness, housing, financial literacy, computer skills, recovery services, and more.
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
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- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Housing
- Mentoring
- Substance Abuse
- Other
- Inititative/program name:
- OpenDoors
- Year Established:
- 2004
- Lead agency/organization name:
- OpenDoors
- Population served by initiative/program:
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- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Gang members
- Tribal populations
- Sex offenders
OpenDoors
Contact:
Ronn FortesChief Operations Director
OpenDoors
Phone: 401-781-5808
841 Broad Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02907
rfortes@opendoorsri.org
www.opendoorsri.org
OpenDoors
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
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- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Housing
- Mentoring
- Substance Abuse
- Other
- Inititative/program name:
- OpenDoors
- Lead agency/organization name:
- OpenDoors
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Federal funding, state and local funding, and private foundation funding.
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
Funding
Partners in the reentry initiative/program
| Informal Agreement | Formal Agreement (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner. |
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| Community- and faith-based services providers: |
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| Education and training providers (e.g., local public school officials, vocational instructors): |
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| Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers: |
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| Housing officials: |
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| Institutional corrections (e.g., DOC, jail, prison): |
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| Law enforcement agencies (e.g., police, sheriff's office): |
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| Members of the community (e.g., people who have been incarcerated, their families or neighbors): |
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| Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges): |
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| Transportation providers: |
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| Victim advocates: |
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| Work force development and employment agencies (e.g. business associations, unions): |
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Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
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- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Gang members
- Tribal populations
- Sex offenders
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- We serve approximately 800 each year through our Resource Center, and an additional 800 through our discharge planning
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- In 2009, 744 new clients received Resource Center programming and 766 discharge plans were completed
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- We can serve up to 1,000 a year in our Resource Center and up to the population of Men's Minimum Security facility with discharge planning services.
- If your initiative/program serves people under community corrections supervision, how does your organization work in partnership or work in collaboration with participants’ probation or parole officers?
- We have an ongoing relationship with probation and parole officers in the state and clients are frequently referred to our programs through their discharge planners. For clients participating in our advanced offerings in housing, employment, and mentoring, we work with the appropriate probation or parole officer individual to ensure mutual success.
Data Collection
- Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- We do a comprehensive intake form with all clients referred to the resource center. We collect information including race, ethnicity, location, income, resources, needs, education, work experience, and more. The demographic characteristics of our clients match those of the prison population in Rhode Island in general: the majority of clients are men, approximately 50% of them are white, more than 50% are parents, and their median education level achieved is 11th grade. The majority of our clients are from Providence, but we serve individuals all over the state.
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- We track the number of individuals that participate in all of our different programs each year. In 2009, we received 2,582 unique Resource Center visits, and saw 744 new clients in one-on-one need assessments. Our housing program served 58 clients in 2009, 76 clients completed financial literacy, 236 individuals received tax services, 295 individuals participated in our employment offerings, and we recruited and trained 17 one-on-one mentors.
- Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Because we offer a lot of services that give clients the tool they need to take pro-active steps in their own recovery and many clients lack reliable access to communication, we are not always able to get the most accurate numbers for tracking purposes. However, we attempt to track job placement, improvements in debt reduction, and recovery. In 2009, 80 individuals contacted OpenDoors to report that they had secured employment.
Activities
- What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- We provide discharge planning to individuals up to 6 months prior to their release from the Men's Minimum Security facility. This includes one-on-one discharge planning and group seminars. We also conduct job readiness seminars, basic financial literacy, and tax returns for individuals currently incarcerated. Finally, we produce a semi-annual newsletter with information and resources that is distributed to all 8 facilities of the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution.
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- We provide multiple services post-release. We do a comprehensive intake and assessment process for all clients. We offer a transportation assistance, a temporary mailing address, access to phones, internet, fax machines, and printers and help clients apply for public assistance, food stamps, identification, and programs for which they may be eligible. We have ongoing monthly programming that includes housing preparedness, job readiness and job placement, several layers of financial literacy, civic participation, computer skills, and one-on-one and peer mentoring. Additional substance abuse recovery services are also provided at our facility. We host community events and events, including a book club for children of incarcerated parents and provide tax assistance in the spring. Our Advanced Employment program offers an intensive employment boot camp, subsidized hard skills training, and eligibility for a transitional jobs placement. Our Advanced Financial Literacy program includes a year of one-on-one credit and financial counseling and access to matching savings accounts. We do targeted policy and advocacy work related to reducing the barriers of re-entry for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. Finally, we are in the process of developing a housing project which, when completed, will offer 19 units of permanent supportive Section 8 housing to individuals with criminal records. Our programs differ from those offered to the general population in that every program is specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals with criminal records. That means topics such as discussing a past criminal history or facing legal barriers are incorporated into all elements of service delivery.
- How are people placed into your program?
- Referral We have multiple levels of service. Most is walk-in and first come first serve, some is by referral, and other programs are through an application process.