Reentry: Program Design
I've designed and implemented systems of care and a range of programs and interventions designed to address the criminogenic needs of justice-involved adults and support unhoused adults with substance use disorders. My experience includes developing San Francisco’s Reentry Care and Treatment Network and The Salvation Army’s Recovery System of Care. I have designed, implemented, and launched more than 50 reentry, rehabilitation, treatment, and housing programs, and opened over 1,200 housing units across 30 sites. These programs encompass residential treatment facilities, therapeutic teaching communities, recovery residences, independent living, and rapid rehousing, promoting long-term recovery, stability, self-sufficiency, and successful community reintegration.
Stabilization Center
"How a new type of S.F. homeless shelter would solve the cycle of people returning to streets." Published in the San Francisco Chronicle as part of the SF Next Initiative on November 10, 2023, the Stabilization Center could serve as the first step of someone’s journey out of homelessness. The program is designed to provide three main functions: address the immediate health needs of unhoused people; restore their physical and mental health; and coordinate placement into treatment or housing. Read in SF Chronicle
Therapeutic Teaching Community
The Positive Directions TRP Academy is a culturally responsive, peer-led, abstinence-based, reentry therapeutic teaching community (TTC) and transitional housing program. The mutual self-help community has a recovery orientation, focusing on whole-person care and overall lifestyle changes, not simply abstinence from drug use. The TRP Academy infuses a strength-based approach into the program's culturally responsive guiding principles of Respect, Interdependence, and Accountability.
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Dual Diagnosis Program
The Minna Project is a dual diagnosis transitional housing program with onsite clinical and supportive services. Participants receive onsite case management and clinical services, reenrty planning, and assistance with permanent housing placement. This project aims to mitigate barriers to reentry by expanding access to transitional housing and behavioral health services to support the needs of justice involved adults, reduce the over-reliance on incarceration, and safely reduce the jail population.
Reentry Navigation Center
The Billie Holiday Center is a culturally responsive Reentry Navigation Center and transitional living space that is designed to provide a rapid connection to next-step resources to justice-involved adults who are unstably housed, experiencing homelessness, and recently released from the county jail or prison. Participants receive onsite case management, reentry planning, and next step resource which include drug treatment and detox, transitional housing, and mental health services.
Recovery-Focused Shelter
Hope House is San Francisco's first, abstinence-based, recovery-focused shelter for adults experiencing homelessness and pursuing recovery. A project central to Mayor Lurie's "Breaking the Cycle" initiative to tackle San Francisco's homeless and behavioral health crisis. The program offers onsite case management, health and wellness activities, life skills, recovery-focused supportive services, benefits acquisition, and linkages to detox, withdrawal management, residential drug treatment, transitional and permanent supportive housing.
Recovery Residence
Wells Place is a drug-free recovery residence for adults who have completed residential substance use treatment. This transformative community promotes long-term health, stability, and independence by providing a supportive environment that prioritizes recovery, financial self-sufficiency, and personal growth. Onsite services help participants build the skills and resources necessary for independent living and include case management, recovery support, life skills, community development, permanent housing assistance, family reunification, career and workforce development, and financial literacy.
Pretrial Program
The Pretrial Pilot Project is a clean and sober transitional housing program with onsite supportive services and case management. Participants may also access clinical, reentry, and recovery services. This project aims to mitigate barriers by expanding access to transitional housing and essential behavioral health services, reduce over-reliance on incarceration, and safely reduce the jail population; while promoting whole person care and overall lifestyle change.
Rapid Rehousing Program
Step Up to Freedom is a three- year reentry rapid rehousing and rental subsidy program for justice involved, unstably housed, adults between the ages of 18 – 35 years. The program is designed to provide financial asistance to low-income adults, while bridging the gap between homelessness and independent living. The goals of the programs are to reduce homelessness and housing instability; improve housing affordability; promote housing stability and economic security; support community development, and increase participants' self-efficacy. Urban Institute Evaluation
One-Stop Reentry Center
The Community Assessment and Services Center (CASC) was California's first behaviroal health focused, multi-services, one-stop clinical rentry center that provides clinical and reentry case management, medication management and distribution, peer mentoring, 1:1 therapy, education and employment services, barrier remediation, and benefits acquisition. The CASC's therapeutic community embraces a client-centered, strength-based approach, empowers personal responsibility, and co-locates services that build self-sufficiency including transitional housing and vocational training.
WGR Supportive Housing Program
HER House is a women’s gender responsive, alternative sentencing and transitional housing program for justice involved women and their children. The uniqueness of this program stems from the multi-agency collaboration, all BIPOC lead, leveraging each organization’s expertise in recovery and gender responsive, trauma informed services. This collaboration offers participants onsite case management and access to a broader community of support.
Portfolio of Reentry Services
From 2015 to 2023, I designed & implemented over 50 reentry & recovery-focused programs. Highlights of my work include the Community Assessment and Services Center, a Behavioral Health Reentry Center; The Positive Directions TRP Academy, an Abstinence-Based Therapeutic Teaching Community; The Minna Project, a Behavioral Health Therapeutic Residence; and The Billie Holiday Center, a Reentry Navigation Center. You can review all of the programs in the link below.
Annual Report Reentry Services
To demonstrate the efficacy of reentry and rehabilitative programs, it is essential to conduct ongoing program evaluations. Over the past decade, the programs I created were designed to meet the criminogenic needs of justice involved adults. With a recidivism rate of 3%, while overseeing a portfolio of programs that served 3,000 adults, we demonstrated blending opportunity and accountability changes lives.
Reentry Care & Treatment Network
To ensure justice involved adults struggling with addiction, mental health challenges, and housing insecurity have real-time access to supportive services, I designed and implemented a Reentry Care and Treatment Network (RCTN), a continuum of integrated services designed to address both the criminogenic needs and community functioning factors of justice involved adults and mitigate the dynamic risk factors proven through research to affect recidivism.
Recovery System of Care
To promote wellness and recovery, and to support unhoused San Franciscans struggling with addiction, I designed an integrated model that coordinates The Salvation Army's local services and programs into a Recovery System of Care (RSC). Services include Detox/Withdrawal Management, Recovery-Focused Shelter, & Stabilization; Licensed Residential Drug Treatment & a Women's Recovery Program; Recovery Housing, Recovery Residence, & Independent Living; Life Skills & Workforce Development; and an Alumni Support Network.
Transformational Living Community
The Joseph McFee Center is a pilot project expanding access to long-term, recovery-focused, transitional housing for San Franciscans exiting residential treatment. The two-year program offers onsite supportive services and case management, connections to workforce development opportunities, and cultivates a transformative community based on the principles of recovery, accountability, and service. It fosters lifelong change by promoting positive values and behaviors through peer interaction, instruction, and community service.
Housing Needs of Justice Involved Adults
This 2023 exploratory research on the housing needs of justice involved adults in San Francisco. It was planned, implemented, and led by individuals who have experienced the challenges of addiction, homelessness, and justice system involvement, and was secondarily supported by researchers. This project was participatory in both its methodological approach and its ideological perspective and making it a report written with an authenticity often absent from research projects.
The Way Out: Overcoming Addiction
Each year over 19,000 people cycle in and out of homeless in San Francisco, most addicted to drug and experiencing other behavioral health challenges. The Way Out is a homeless initiative, focused on recovery from addictions that offers withdrawal management and stabilization, residential drug treatment, recovery housing, independent living, workforce development, and an alumni support network. This evidence-based model is helping people reclaiming their lives.
The Way Out: Overcoming Addiction & Homelessness
San Francisco's drug and homeless crisis is impacting everyone. Each night over 8,000 San Franciscans have no place to call home - most have lost hope and struggle with addiction and other behavioral health challenges. The Way Out is a recovery-focused homeless initiative that addresses these challenges head-on. Through an evidence-based model, it offers a full continuum of care, a comprehensive approach helping individuals reclaim their lives and build lasting recovery.
The Way Out: A new life filled with hope and purpose!
San Francisco's drug and homeless crisis is impacting everyone. Each night over 8,000 San Franciscans have no place to call home - most have lost hope and struggle with addiction and other behavioral health challenges. The Way Out is a recovery-focused homeless initiative that addresses these challenges head-on. Through an evidence-based model, it offers a full continuum of care, a comprehensive approach helping individuals reclaim their lives and build lasting recovery.