We all make mistakes, and we pay for those mistakes. But once that debt is paid, it’s only fair that we are allowed to move forward.
PENNSYLVANIA STATE | On Sept. 16, 2022, Pennsylvania announced a brand new, $2 million initiative to give rehabilitated women better opportunities while they transition back into their community after being incarcerated. The Women’s Reentry Services Initiative Program will provide grants of up to $100,000 to Pennsylvania organizations for projects that provide holistic reentry support services to women.
“More than 70% of women incarcerated in Pennsylvania’s prisons are mothers. And when they reenter society, they face the everyday struggles of every mother—to balance work, family, and life—combined with the reality of integrating themselves into a society that will immediately slap a label on them for their prior mistakes,” said Gov. Wolf. “We see these women, we see their struggle as they stretch themselves thin to make ends meet, let alone thrive.
According to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), eligible projects include:
- providing supportive housing,
- workforce development services and employment assistance,
- job readiness support services,
- access to childcare,
- transportation assistance,
- healthcare, mental healthcare,
- peer support and mentoring, and
- access to family reunification services.
“In my past, I served on the board of a women’s halfway house in York County, where we advocated for the residents as they reclaimed their lives in reentry. It was there that I was introduced to the challenges women reentrants face and the importance of the community organizations that wrap around them,” said First Lady Wolf. “I am proud to announce the launch of the Women’s Reentry Services Initiative, a grant program designed to support the non-profits on the front lines of this work. It’s bigger than helping women find homes, employment, or childcare; it’s about restoring dignity.”
Pennsylvania organizations can apply for grants on the egrants website by Oct. 25, 2022.