Mentorship Program Supports Formerly Incarcerated Lander Residents Through Reentry

When a Lander volunteer began working with residents just coming out of jail, she noticed a lack of coordination between well-intentioned entities—a gap where people often fell back into the system. After one resident stole a bike to get home from jail because they had no transportation and went right back in, she and friends had an idea: create an organization whose mission is coordinating the care these residents need. A team of five volunteers developed a relationship-based mentorship model that begins while people are still incarcerated, builds a reentry plan, and then literally walks them through it—driving them home from jail, to appointments, and to services. While the Episcopal Church houses multiple services, not all are located there, and finding them without support is difficult when transportation, phones, or basic life skills are barriers. The Trenches Collective will use laptops, tablets, and CRM software to track each client’s progress, maintain a stocked closet of first aid kits, gas cards, and emergency supplies, and provide volunteer mentor training including background checks and CPR certification. LOR’s funding will help purchase equipment, software, emergency supplies, insurance, training, filing fees, and life skills classes as the organization builds toward 501(c)(3) status.

This project is fiscally sponsored by Lander Community Foundation.