| |  | Since 1969, Community Family Life Services has provided children, families, and adults with the tools and resources needed to move beyond poverty and homelessness. CFLS supports women who are returning home following a period of incarceration by assisting them as they move into permanent self-sufficiency. Amidst this unprecedented pandemic, our primary focus has been to keep our community safe, while continuing to find the best ways to serve the everyday essential needs of our clients. |
|  | Women-Centric Reentry Support CFLS specializes in providing gender-responsive services to assist women in overcoming the unique challenges of transitioning home after a period of incarceration. We recognize and address the intersection of domestic violence, complex trauma, and incarceration. Moreover, it is well known that the majority of justice involved women have also been victimized at some point in her life. In fact, the trauma she has experienced is often at the root of behaviors that led to her incarceration. CFLS offers a complement of comprehensive reentry programming including weekly visits to the Correctional Treatment Facility to conduct life skills groups, prepare intakes and release plans, engage women in our employment sessions and parenting curriculum, discuss women’s health and HIV prevention, and hold domestic violence awareness workshops. CFLS also visits Fairview Halfway House and Bureau of Prisons facilities to meet women preparing for release. While in person programming has been restricted due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to have strong partnerships allowing us the ability to provide our services virtually. |
| | Starter Kits The most critical time of a woman’s reentry are the days immediately following her release. Often women who do not have stable housing or a supportive network upon their release, return to tenuous situations that lead back to abuse or cause recidivism. CFLS’s goal is to create a reliable supportive community that clients can turn to in their moments of need. |
|  | CFLS is thrilled to announce a new initiative. We are working with our partners, the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) READY Center (Resources to Empower and Develop You), Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA), DC Reentry Action Network, Fairview Halfway House, Federal Bureau of Prisons, House of Ruth, Jubilee Housing, and Thrive DC to provide women returning home from DOC or BOP a Starter Kit containing the essential tools needed to thrive. The Starter Kit includes items such as funding for a laptop computer, tablet, or kindle, prepaid mobile telephone, transportation stipend, hygiene items, Personal Protective Equipment (mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.), business attire, and informational flyers, among other items. On average, there are approximately a total of 100 women housed at DOC and Fairview Halfway House. In conjunction with our partners, the kit also offers customization so women can remove specific barriers to her own circumstances. It is important to highlight that the Starter Kits will equip clients with the necessary technology to participate in ongoing virtual programming. With this investment, CFLS will be able to expand our service offerings virtually on a more permanent basis. The ultimate goal is to serve clients just as we would in person. |
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| Join Us We are excited about our new initiative to provide Starter Kits to women returning home from DOC or BOP. As discussed above, the Starter Kit program will be an invaluable complement to our existing reentry programming. Will you join us in providing justice involved women with the essential tools needed to thrive? You can help a woman begin her path to success by contributing the following items to her Starter Kit: - $750 Full Starter Kit (includes all items listed below)
- $350 Laptop Computer, Tablet, or Kindle
- $200 Individual Customized supports which can include rental assistance, work equipment or other needs
- $100 Prepaid Mobile Telephone or hotspot
- $50 Transportation Stipend (e.g. Bus, Metro, Uber, or Lyft)
- $30 Hygiene Items
- $20 Personal Protective Equipment (mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.)
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| Thank you for being a continued supporter, partner, and member of our community. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your gracious support during these turbulent times. Together, we can do more to empower justice-involved women in the District of Columbia.  Ashley McSwain, MSW, MSOD
Executive Director
Community Family Life Services |
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| Community Family Life Services
305 E Street NW | Washington, District of Columbia 20001
202-347-0511 | development@cflsdc.org |
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