To return to the Reentry Program Database, click here
Solutions to Poverty
As Louisiana continues to grapple with poverty issues in the state, RBF has made a conscious decision to expand our scope of work to include substantive programming that will assist incarcerated populations and their under-resourced families discover for themselves solutions out of poverty. By providing access to financial management education that includes coming along side the under-resourced to provide the tools they need to move from poverty to prosperity such as basic money management skills, they will gain a clearer understanding of how poverty impacts their lives as well as their children. The end result will be improved quality of life for these families as well as economic benefits for the communities in which they live.
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
-
- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Task Force / Coalitions
- Inititative/program name:
- Solutions to Poverty
- Year Established:
- 2009
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Reentry Benefiting Families
- Population served by initiative/program:
-
- 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
- Victims
Solutions to Poverty
Contact:
Elain EllerbePresident & CEO
Reentry Benefiting Families, An Initiative of Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc.
Phone: 225-963-2074
174 Highland Meadows Drive
Jackson, Louisiana 70748
elainellerbe@bellsouth.net
www.rbf.la
Solutions to Poverty
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
-
- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Task Force / Coalitions
- Inititative/program name:
- Solutions to Poverty
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Reentry Benefiting Families
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Private Donations & Private Foundation Grants
- 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. |
|
| Community- and faith-based services providers: |
|
|
| Education and training providers (e.g., local public school officials, vocational instructors): |
|
|
| Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers: |
|
|
| Housing officials: |
|
|
| Institutional corrections (e.g., DOC, jail, prison): |
|
|
| Law enforcement agencies (e.g., police, sheriff's office): |
|
|
| Members of the community (e.g., people who have been incarcerated, their families or neighbors): |
|
|
| Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges): |
|
|
| Work force development and employment agencies (e.g. business associations, unions): |
|
Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
-
- 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
- Victims
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- 1200
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- 250
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- 250
- 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 are presently establishing closer working relationships with parole officers of our participants to enable the participants who have graduated from our Solutions to Poverty program to provide training and mentoring in the communities to which they return. This community service will be applied towards the parole fees they may have to pay as well as give the ex-offender an opportunity to give back to his community.
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 administer pre and post testing instruments as well as gather anecdotal information through written evaluations. The results to date indicated that 80% of the participants are increasing their knowledge level of basic financial management skills as well as an understanding of the mindset of poverty and how to rise above it.
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- No
- 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?
- We rely mainly on the state statistics, however, we have begun a networking process that allows us to stay connected to released participants as well as provide counseling and referrals to other services to them and their family members. We will need additional funding to implement scientific data tracking procedures.
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?
- Presently, all our program is being carried out in state correctional facilities. However, the program is structured to allow graduates to return to their communities to teach financial management skills. This program has been accredited by the Louisiana Department of Corrections to award good time to the graduating participants. The actual structure of the program would be no different if presented to the general population.
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Each RBF participant is provided with contact info upon release and we are presently mentoring five released offenders. We see no difference in activities if provided to the general population.
- How are people placed into your program?
- Participants request to participate and are placed on waiting list.