Stabilize to Thrive Holistic Reentry Support

Income inequality

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

More than 600,000 people are released from U.S. prisons and jails every year. Approximately 68% are rearrested within three years of their release. Employment is the greatest predictor of successful reentry for people leaving prison. The green economy – and green re-entry programs – offer this chronically underserved population opportunities to find gainful employment necessary to escape poverty and prevent recidivism. Even when concrete green workforce opportunities are available, however, administrative and legal hurdles, social stigma, lack of transportation, and other barriers limit the ability of people in reentry to take advantage of and succeed in these roles. Additionally, the large majority of people in reentry are suffering from emotional health issues - related to their incarceration experience, isolation, and the challenge of adapting to a dramatically changed world - that make it difficult for them to effectively engage in employment and training opportunities.

Pre-release: Training and support for people incarcerated in California State Prison, LA County, including classes in permaculture gardening and landscape design, workforce soft skills development, and green sector employer roundtables. LT also provides 1:1 case management to identify each participant's goals, strengths, needs, connections, and how LT and our partners can support their reentry.
At-release: LT staff pick participants up at the prison gate to ensure immediate connection to housing, family, and essential services. Staff take participants our for a “freedom meal”, provide cell phones, and take participants shopping for essentials.
Post-release: LT provides wraparound services that address each participant’s needs, including housing, employment/vocational, social services and public benefits, and behavioral health care.
Services include job search support, workforce readiness coaching, financial empowerment training, customized career readiness groups, connections to employers, and referrals to partner agencies that provide vocational training, transitional jobs, apprenticeships, and careers in the green sector.
We also facilitate weekly peer support/healing circles and facilitate monthly community building and healing nature excursions. Our reentry support is designed to address critical immediate needs and provide the sense of safety, community, and stability that is essential for seeking, securing, and maintaining employment.

Thousands of people are released from CA prisons to LA County every year. High recidivism rates contribute to public safety concerns and impact the county’s reputation and economic well-being. In addition to public resources drained due to incarceration, reduced earnings and decreased economic productivity contribute to an ongoing cycle of poverty that disproportionately impacts low income communities of color.
LT is breaking cycles of incarceration, building reentry pathways, and creating safer communities in Los Angeles. An independent study found that 2.3% of LT participants were reincarcerated after three years, in contrast to the 39% recidivism rate for CA state prisons as a whole.
In LA county, our long-term plan includes development of new green sector employer relationships and expansion of our partnerships with the CA State Parks and PG&E designed to open doors for formerly incarcerated individuals to access careers in public land stewardship and arboriculture.