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VOICES FOR A SECOND CHANCE 
Continuum of Care

Because VSC’s continuum of care is comprehensive, returning citizens can count on us to meet their individual needs at every step of their reentry journey. This page presents a very brief overview of our four phases of the continuum of care.

First Responder Services
(Outreach and Direct Support in Jails/Prisons and Halfway Houses)

The VSC First Responders focus on in-reach to the incarcerated population in jails, prisons, and halfway houses. VSC staff also uses virtual intervention and mobile outreach to provide information and assist with prescreening as we begin reentry planning before release.


Services:

  • • Pre-release Case Management
    • DOC Jail In-Reach and Mail Collection

  • • Federal Bureau of Prisons In-Reach

  • • Halfway House On-Site Support

  • • Compassionate Release Pre-release Plans

  • • IRAA Reentry Case Plans

The Welcome Home Center
(We welcome home our DC residents with humanity)

The Welcome Home component provides a mobile and office-based reentry center that assists individuals who have left the DC Jail, the prisons, and the halfway house or are on community supervision. The VSC reentry navigators provide immediate stabilizers. This component also includes community outreach.

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VSC’s floating support services are integrated into the outreach via our Mobile Welcome Home Center. These services provide a responsive outreach approach by meeting them where they are. VSC provides outreach to areas of the District where justice-involved individuals are at a higher risk of poverty and crime. Individuals are self-referred if interested in the services offered by VSC. VSC accepts walk-in and telephone intakes.


Services:

  • Halfway House Reentry Transition

  • Early Stabilizers: Vital Records, Birth Certificates and Social Security, Medicaid Enrollment and reinstatement, Benefits Enrollment - TANF, SSI, Clothing and Housing Referrals

  • Case Management 

  • Workforce Development/Employment Assistance

  • Welcome Home Transition Backpacks

  • The New Terrain Program supports life stabilizers and emergent needs such as

    • Transportation Assistance

    • Short-Term/Transitional Housing Support

    • Rental Assistance

    • Technology Support

    • Vital Document Support

    • Utility Assistance

  • Welcome Home Bags that contain life essentials

Moving Toward Stability

Moving towards stability incorporates intensive case management, peer support groups, and information on connections to housing, employment, treatment, and education. Integral components include 'know your legal rights,' ‘financial literacy,' and other critical flexible resources necessary for ongoing stability.

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Recognizing the 2020 challenges of COVID-19 in communities of color and the disparity in the provision of education and lifesaving equipment and vaccinations, VSC began an Urgent Wellness Intervention. Staff have been trained to provide screening and linkage to medical services and address health care's social determinants. Once again, this requires flexible mobile community outreach to marginalized neighborhoods to provide wellness checks, the dissemination of personal protective equipment for COVID-19, chronic illness medical equipment distribution, and follow-up. This also entails Behavioral Health support (mental health and substance use disorder services), behavioral health screening and referrals to treatment, and respite care.
   

Services:

  • Reentry Case Management

  • New Terrain Program

  • Peer Support Groups

    • Staying On Track

    • H.E.R.

    • Just Law

    • RECLAi/M

Community of Voices
(Investing Power In Individuals)

Finding their Power by Using Their Voice - VSC engages clients in finding their voice and trusting their perspective on the transformation of the system to be a part of restoring justice and equity.

 

VSC has developed a  Train Our Voices (TOV) curriculum and materials based on the lessons learned from history and the civil rights struggles that have led up to the challenges our constituents face today. This component enables us to expose clients to speaking at DC Council and community meetings and to know how to collaborate with groups around the country influencing Capitol Hill on the barriers and needs of justice-involved individuals and returned citizens. We will work with our local partners who promote clients to become engaged in these networks that offer understanding and strength from those who have also lived experience. To this end, we invited leaders from these local and national groups to interact with clients during the TOV sessions as a part of their curriculum towards using their voices for Power.

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