About the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative
Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and is host to the largest number of individuals returning from state prison. There are so many barriers that formerly incarcerated individuals must navigate upon release, including finding housing and employment, the stigma of being an “ex-offender” and the repair and renewal of supportive and healthy relationships with families and friends.
Formerly incarcerated individuals returning home after serving a sentence in state prison — and their families — face enormous obstacles in the challenging journey of reentry and must overcome a number of complex challenges as they work to reintegrate into society. Our Council Reentry Program sits among a wide variety of providers and is anchored by the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative.
The Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative is a network of organizations partnering to promote successful reentry and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and reduce recidivism in Central and South Los Angeles. Launched as an initiative of Beyond Us and Them, the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative supports a wide network of reentry service providers in Los Angeles, as one of 37 Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) funded by CACHI.
California Surgeon General, Dr. Diana Ramos, visited the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative for a personalized pep talk that left the community feeling hopeful and inspired. While speaking on the topic of mental health, her personal story of triumph and of overcoming adversity may well be what attendees will remember most.
Dr. Ramos started her presentation by mentioning that she shares a story similar to many of the formerly incarcerated individuals in the room. She grew up in South Central Los Angeles, near the USC campus, and she knows that her life could have been completely different. The first in her family to go to college, she believes that life circumstances and the choices you make with "what is put in your path" have a great deal to do with success and outcome. She shared that her choice was to focus on her studies and to create a new future... something she admits is not so easy.
When her talk was complete, participants were invited to ask questions and share their experiences. As stories of challenge and hardship were offered, Dr. Ramos brought it back to the room full of like-minded individuals in community. "We are not put into this world to be alone," she reminded Collaborative members, as she encouraged those in attendance to lean on one another, to connect, and to continue to build community.feature=sharedMembers
of the Los Angeles Reentry Collaborative listen in to dialogue on reducing recidivism in South and Central Los Angeles.
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