Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2013, $300,000)
The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) reflects a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and are returning to communities. Section 211 of the Act authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for mentoring projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of adults who have been incarcerated. Mentoring refers to a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person develop an enhanced sense of self-worth and specific knowledge and skills to increase the chance of successful reentry.
The goal of this program is to promote more effective and successful reentry for offenders through the establishment and maintenance of pre- and post-release mentoring relationships. The objectives of this program are to establish or improve the administration of mentoring programs, including the expansion of mentoring strategies and program design; enhance and improve the organizational capacity, system efficiency, and cost effectiveness of mentoring programs through training and technical assistance and other strategies, and; improve outcomes for offenders in mentoring programs by establishing and strengthening collaborative community approaches.
Volunteers of America of Oregon, Inc. will use their 2013 Second Chance Act Mentoring grant to fully integrate into the Community Partners Reinvestment (CPR) Program, a successful, evidence-based, reentry program for young men, operated by Volunteers of America Oregon (VOAOR) in cooperation with County and State correctional partners. Their goal is to promote more effective and successful reentry for offenders through the establishment and maintenance of pre and post-release mentoring relationships. Culturally-specific mentors are an integral strategy to help achieve their long-term outcomes of linking returning offenders with the broader community and reducing recidivism. Mentors will be matched to mentees 12 weeks pre-release based on factors such as shared cultural identity and similar life experience and continue to support mentees for up to one year post-release in close partnership with counselors and parole officers. Mentors will serve as a guide through CPR's menu of transitional services to provide a bridge back to the community for these young men.
CA/NCF