Restorative Reentry Fund Launched in Oakland
Community Works and UpTogether partner on pilot for 38 justice-involved individuals
February 28, 2023 (Oakland, California): Community Works (CW), an Oakland nonprofit that provides wraparound services for people impacted by the justice system, launched a guaranteed income pilot for 38 individuals. The participants are receiving $1,000 a month for 12 months, followed by $500 a month for six months.
“We hope this project provides a starting point for a conversation about a truth and reconciliation process and how we can create the conditions for true wealth equity, prosperity, and liberation,” says Rahkii Holman, CW Program Manager.
CW is partnering with UpTogether, a national organization that seeks to change policies and systems so that people are seen and invested in for their strengths.
“UpTogether trusts and invests in people so that they can find their own pathways to economic mobility. This investment can provide the needed cushion for justice-involved individuals to seek the opportunities to help them achieve their goals.” said UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena.
The goal of the Restorative Reentry fund is to assess the impact of guaranteed income on the well-being of participants, most of whom are returning from incarceration. The members of the pilot will have access to assistance with securing housing, employment, legal support, and medical care. Additionally, they will be offered educational resources in financial and digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and home ownership. Recipients will also be regularly surveyed to assess the impact of the payments.
“I am in the process of saving my guaranteed income in order to lease or rent an apartment. It really puts my mind at ease just knowing that I have 18 months of guaranteed income! I am so grateful for this opportunity,” said Tommy Shakur Ross, one of the Fund’s participants.
About Community Works (CW):
Founded in 1997, CW seeks to transform justice both as it exists within systems and as it can be outside of them. Our programs prevent people from entering justice systems altogether and improve outcomes for those who do, while our participants address harm, make amends, take accountability, achieve healing, grow individual capacity, and strengthen connections. Visit us at communityworkswest.org.
About UpTogether:
UpTogether is a national organization, founded in Oakland 20 years ago, with a bold goal of changing policies, systems, and underlying beliefs so that all people in the United States are seen and invested in for their strengths and are able to build power, reinforce their autonomy, and drive their own economic and social mobility. To learn more, visit UpTogether.org.
