REENTRY HOUSING CONFERENCE

June 24, 2015

I.         8:30 to 8:45 -- Opening Remarks. Paul Bolster, Executive Director GSHA

 

II.       8:45 to 9:15 -- Introduction to the Georgia Reentry Initiative

 

Speaker: Jay Neal, Director, Georgia Office of Transition Support and Reentry

 

III.      9:15 to 10:45 -- Community Focused Reentry Programs from Both Jail and Prison

a.      United Way Atlanta’s GRIP Program

                                                              i.      Elizabeth Danley, MSW, Project Manager, Regional Commission of Homelessness, United Way of Greater Atlanta

                                                            ii.      Viewpoint Health—Danielle Maybury, LMSW, Behavioral Health Reentry Coordinator, Team Lead

                                                          iii.      DeKalb— Susan Gorco, Staff Attorney, Disability Integration Project, Atlanta Legal Aid Society

 

b.      Macon-- State of Georgia Sponsored Coalition and Local Coalition Building —

Larry Dale, Community Coordinator for Macon

c.      Jasper -- Accountability Courts and housing—Chief Judge Brenda Weaver, Appalachian Judicial Circuit, Jasper Georgia

10:45 to 11:00 Morning Break

  

IV.   11:00 to 12:00 -- Preparation for Reentry--- Programs inside correctional facilities that prepare returning citizens

Speaker: Dr. L. C. (Buster) Evans, Assistant Commissioner for Education and Programs, Georgia Department of Corrections

a.      Second Generation Assessment of needs, risks, and skills

b.      Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) beds and programs for after care.

c.      GED training and testing

d.      Vocational Education

e.      Other course work – anger management, parenting

f.        Facility work programs

g.      Transition Centers

h.      Preparation  for release

                                                              i.      Transition Planning

                                                            ii.      Identification cards

                                                          iii.      Application for SSI

                                                           iv.      Connecting to family and community support

                                                             v.      Certificate of Completion and liability protection

12:00 to 12:30 Lunch

V.     12:30 to 1:30 -- Services for Returning Citizens—Availability, Barriers, Gaps and Next Opportunities

Speakers:  Valencia Miller, Community Coordinator (Atlanta)

Charles Kennedy, Chief Probation Officer, Atlanta

Reinete Arnold, Community Outreach, Behavioral Health Link

Dominic Johnson, Caring Works Shelter Plus Care.

Ivan Rouse, Case Manager, GeorgiaWorks

Community Service Boards (CSBs) and other local behavioral health providers; Intensive probation and parole; Food stamps; Employment services; Local resources

 

VI.   1:30 to 2:30 -- Returning Citizens with Behavioral Health Issues

Speaker: Terri Timberlake, Director, Office of Adult Mental Health, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

a.      Type of disabilities

b.      Service needs

c.      In-reach

d.      Forensic Peer Support

e.      Number of returning citizens who need permanent supportive housing

2:30 to 2:45 -- Afternoon Break

VII.  2:45 to 4:15 -- Housing Programs that Support Reentry -- Break- out round table sessions on the following:

a.      Reentry Partnership Housing (RPH)—Erin Anderson, Program Director, Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS)

Thomas Thompson, Lead Case worker, Metro Atlanta Red Shield Services, Salvation Army, a provider

                                                              i.      Qualified individuals

                                                            ii.      Qualified providers and applications to be new providers

                                                          iii.      Expansion to probation on July 1

                                                           iv.      Current availability

 

b.      Georgia Housing Voucher program---Doug Scott and a regional housing coordinator

 

c.      What comes after RPH--Referral Opportunities and Resources—Paul Bolster, GSHA Director and Cynthia Patterson, GOTSR Housing Coordinator, Macon

 

Conference Resource Persons available throughout the day:

Georgia Office of Transition Support and Reentry (GOTSR) Housing Coordinators

Melanie Conor, Columbus

Cynthia Patterson, Macon

Randy Humphrey, Atlanta

Rachel Norman, Atlanta

Robert Simmons, Savannah

Tina Stephens, Augusta

 

   

SPONSORED BY

 

     

 

With instrumental help by the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards

and Georgia Office of Transition Support and Reentry