The FACE IT Transitional House program is an essentially needed project.  It is a re-entry house for ex-offenders returning to Baltimore communities.  Freedom Advocates Celebrating Ex-Offenders program model focus on five foundational principles; Community Development; including Neighborhood Revitalization, Leadership Development, Restorative Justice, Economic Development, and Enterprise Development.  This program has been divinely designed to bring restoration to the individual re-entering society, those at-risk of incarceration for the first time, families that have been affected and communities that have been torn down.

FACE, an over-arching program principle, is defined as promoting understanding, accountability and healing.  It is repairing the harm caused by drugs, crime and violence.  Restorative Justice views crime as much more than a violation of law.  Crime is a very personal violation that causes pain and suffering for numerous of people.  Crime destroys lives in ways that cannot be accurately portrayed by a system that reduces crime to the state of Maryland vs. John/Jane Doe.  Through a broader perspective, restorative justice seeks to answer the questions: What really happened? What is the resulting damage? What can be done to make things right? Through this vision of justice, offenders are held accountable to their victims and held responsible for personally helping to repair the harm they caused. 

The effects of drug dealing and drug use in our neighborhoods can be viewed in many ways.  The boards on windows and doors of dilapidated houses tell the story of quickly deteriorating neighborhoods; neighborhoods that are inundated with drug use, drug dealing, prostitution, violence and other drug related offenses.  Crack houses have found their way into our communities, next door to our schools, churches and community centers.  Drug dealers are finding ways to perpetuate their activity, leaving a legacy of their own, by “turning our kids on-to gang violence” at earlier ages every year.

Unless we provide supportive systems for those who are or have considered entering “the game” or who would like to exit “the game,” our communities, our residents and our youth will continue to find themselves behind bars, sporting a number or dressed in a single white sheet adorning a toe tag in the local morgue; becoming another statistic of a senseless violent act.  In the Baltimore community drugs, drug dealers, gangs and gang violence have taken over our neighborhoods, bringing violence, intimidation and hopelessness.

FACE has joined with others to purposely train pre-released incarcerated people in the area of reconstructing while they in-turn utilize those skills to re-build the communities in which they have helped to tear down.  This is an excellent example of Restorative Justice in action.  The Mentoring program participants will be expected to complete a training program to begin a rehabilitation process within the community in order to provide opportunities to low income residents as well as those who are unable to find reliable resources.  This type of cognitive thinking development is both viable and visible and can be very restorative to an entire community working together collectively.  Through this type of milestone program, the individuals can immediately overcome the barriers to employment oftentimes plaguing them upon release.  The construction industry is one of the leading industries to welcome ex-offenders and therefore makes it a suitable avenue for employment.  The fact that the monies they earn will be paid toward any outstanding restitution, legal obligations such as child support and/or fines also demonstrates the restorative properties of such a venture.  Other key benefits are that neighborhoods are revitalized, communities are restored and the ex-offender gains valuable, marketable job skills.  This brings about healing to the individual, their family and the community.

Our intent is to utilize as many of the existing programs that have been implemented and provide stability within the community to overcome the many obstacles that are set before us. We believe by engaging with the population of people we serve and community service providers would generate hope for individuals and their families when conducted in a manner that provides participants with opportunities for identification and application of new life skills.  It is our goal to become a catalyst that would allow participants to access available and reliable resources with a dialog and more accurate approach.

The purpose for this meeting is to incorporate a collective chore group to perform duties of the following (7) key components. Our goal is to begin building a solid foundation and move forward implementing a strategic plan for action:

   (1). Workforce Community Development

   (2). Mentoring Programs

   (3). Leadership Development Skills

   (4). Life Skills Development

   (5). Educational Enrichment

   (6). Micro-enterprise Development

   (7). Supportive Services

These services will be provided primarily by referrals and collaboration that would consist of covenant accountability. Those participants enrolled in this process will also provide staff support to the project in a capacity when feasible.