Trillium Foundation gives $126K for crime prevention programs

Getting out of prison can be a daunting experience for those without a stable support network surrounding them.

With no money, no home and no job prospects, the likelihood of a return trip to prison skyrockets. On Thursday the Ontario Trillium Foundation took two steps toward ending the cycle in Thunder Bay, giving $99,000 to the John Howard Society to fund crime prevention programs for the homeless and $27,100 to the revamped and revitalized Elizabeth Fry Society to hire a co-ordinator to help female convicts reintegrate into society.

Sally Palmer Woods, chairwoman of the board of Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario, said the capacity development co-ordinator will research avenues of funding and partnerships to help cover the cost of reintegration.

“The problem for us is we have a lot of potential clients, there’s a big need out there and when we were operating, we were doing very well. The correctional system and the legal system and the court system really wanted to have us around. But our problem was getting sustainable funding,” Palmer Woods said.

In its previous incantation – it operated from 2006 to March 2008 – the organization was only able to get funding a year at a time.

“Eventually there was a big gap where we had to close our doors,” she said.
Ultimately they want to hire a worker to work closely with prisoners and prisoners-to-be, visiting them behind bars, accompanying them to court and assessing and referring them to various treatment and counseling programs once they’re released.

“These women have many, many needs. Most of them are pretty low income, low educational levels, they have mental health issues, they have addictions issues. That’s how they end up in the correctional centre to begin with,” she said.

“Unfortunately it’s just a revolving door. When they come out there is very little housing, very little for them and there’s a tendency to re-offend. We’re trying to break that cycle.”
The John Howard Society intends to use its share of Tuesday’s announcement to continue the My Own Place project, homelessness program that works with the most at-risk individuals to help them find and maintain housing.

The program began 18 months ago, but was only funded for a nine-month period.
“During that time we were able to successfully house 40 individuals, to move them from shelters to housing, recognizing that a lack of safe, affordable housing is a huge risk factor for conflict with the law for individuals,” said Liisa Leskowski, executive director for the John Howard Society.

She added the program actually needs three people to run properly, but they’ll take what they can get. The money will cover one person for two years.
“At least we can keep our doors open for now,” she said.