Page 52 - BusinessWest July 10, 2023

Taking Down Barriers
Grant Helps Formerly Incarcerated Women Reenter Careers
“We represent people facing
the collateral consequences of the criminal court system. We believe everyone should have the right
to housing and steady income and the opportunity to thrive as individuals, within families, and as part of communities.”
The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM) has awarded $50,000 in grant funding
to Community Legal Aid (CLA), a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low- income and elderly residents of Central and Western Mass, for its CORI/Reentry Unit and the development and support of a Reentry Coalition and Network.
This partnership will address the shared goals of mitigating the negative effects of incarceration, reducing justice-system involvement, and optimizing reentry of formerly incarcerated women and gender-diverse people in Greater Springfield and Hampden County.
CLA’s Reentry Coalition and Network will include a broad range of organizations working to help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome barriers that prevent them from reestablishing a stable life. Their recruitment will focus on women and gender-expansive people who either have criminal records or are formerly incarcerated and are involved with reentry work; medical providers who utilize a harm-reduction model in their practice and services; educational programs that offer support and access to programming post-incarceration; employment support organizations; and housing advocates.
CLA began its CORI/Reentry work in 2016 to help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome barriers
to safe and affordable housing, steady and fulfilling employment, and other opportunities to reintegrate into
society, an essential first step to living stable and safe lives. “We represent people facing the collateral
consequences of the criminal court system,” said Alyssa Golden, senior supervising attorney of the CORI/Reentry Unit at CLA. “We believe everyone should have the
right to housing and steady income and the opportunity to thrive as individuals, within families, and as part of communities.”
The WFWM is proud to collaborate with CLA to establish and strengthen work around reentry for families. “We are humbled by our community partners who work
to advance the lives of formerly incarcerated women and gender-diverse people in our region,” said Donna Haghighat, Women’s Fund CEO. “As a public foundation that invests in gender and racial equity, we wanted
to invest in the lives of community members who are impacted by the negative effects of incarceration. We’re grateful to be able to work with them to create greater change for reducing justice-system involvement.”
The work of the Greater Springfield Women’s Economic Security Hub is made possible thanks to the MassMutual Foundation, Berkshire Bank, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Program, the Springfield American Rescue Plan Act, and the MassMutual Women’s Leadership Business Resource Group. BW
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52 JULY 10, 2023
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