2023 - Flipbook - Page 12
SCC IN THE COMMUNIT Y
Our home at 224 Potomac is the destination for returning citizens leaving prison from throughout Colorado. It also
offers a warm welcome to friends and neighbors in our local community.
A PLACE OF REFUGE
The ground floor lobby welcomes
homeless people, neighbors down
on their luck, and anyone at all
who needs a cup of coffee, a hot
meal, access to a computer, or a
friendly face and a helping hand.
COMMUNITY SAFETY
An expungement clinic in 2023 helped friends and neighbors,
in addition to SCC client-partners, to track and remove small
offenses from their record. Many neighbors told us that
while they have been law-abiding citizens for decades, they
are still dogged by small offenses from decades ago, such
as marijuana possession, that hinder their employment
prospects and ability to obtain a mortgage.
COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
Pre-pandemic, SCC client-partners, staff, board,
and neighbors in the community gathered
annually for Thanksgiving, summer barbeques,
and any other excuse to fire up the grill. We are
looking forward to hosting festivities
once again in 2024 at 224 Potomac
and Providence at the Heights.
S
econd Chance Center in the City (SCCIC) was launched
in April 2021, when the Crime Prevention and Control
Commission awarded us the contract for re-entry
services at the Denver City & County Jails. For most people,
unless they commit a major crime with no previous history,
cycling in and out of jail is typically the on ramp to a prison
sentence, and we saw an opportunity to intervene and help
people avoid years of incarceration.
Since the first day of operation, SCCIC has continually
increased its presence in the community. During the first
year, SCCIC enrolled 392 individuals. In 2023, the number of
enrolled client-partners increased to 1,219. We knew from the
start that people leaving jail have very different needs from
those leaving prison, and that meeting those needs would be
a challenge. The problems of homelessness, mental health
concerns, and substance use issues are overwhelming, but
we are already seeing an impact: repeat bookings are down,
and the numbers of people enrolled in mental health care,
substance use disorder treatment, and employment or job
training, are up. So far, we have reduced recidivism from 59%
to 30%, an astonishing return on investment for the City &
County of Denver.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
With support from the Vaccine Equity Fund, throughout the
summer of 2021, one thousand people were vaccinated
against COVID in 12 pop-up vaccine clinics. Our thanks to the
doctors from University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center,
Colorado Alliance for Health Equity, and the Colorado Primary
Care Clinic. The congregation of Zion Temple Church provided
a corps of volunteers for every clinic.
A good haircut can make all the
difference in how returning citizens feel
about themselves. SCC welcomes our
volunteer barbers whenever they can
visit; this trim was provided at the
annual Veterans Fair.
VETERANS FAIR
The November Veterans Fair celebrated and offered services
to our community’s veterans. More than 100 returning
citizens at SCC in 2023 had a military background. Veterans
with combat trauma, undiagnosed brain injuries, PTSD, and
substance use disorders, too often end up in jail or prison
instead of receiving the support they need.
10
People leaving jail meet with a care manager (we prefer the word “care”...our people
have had enough of being cases) to jointly develop a plan to meet their needs. SCC’s
client-partners always drive the process of healing and rebuilding their lives. Our
trauma-informed and supportive, but non-directive approach, was built by formerly
incarcerated staff members based on what they had needed on release and could not
find. We reject the historic provider/recipient power dynamic. True partnership, full
engagement, and genuine choice are crucial elements in SCC’s success.
We have strong partnerships with the Aid Center, Denver
Health, the Don’t Look Back Center, and the Harm Reduction
Action Center, all of whom support warm handoffs from
SCCIC. Tribe Recovery Homes partners with us on pre-trial care
management, which helps to divert many participants with
substance use disorders from jail into treatment, often at one
of Tribe’s sober living homes.
SCC in the City continues to grow and expand, serving more
people and offering more services, to help people leaving jail
to build rewarding lives.
