Several thousand people will be returning home from Virginia prisons over the next two months, due to a new earned sentence credit law that went into effect July 1. While the exact number coming back to the Charlottesville area hasn’t been determined, a new weekly initiative called One Stop Shop hopes to make their landing a bit softer, and thereby reduce the risk of recidivism.
“We want to kind of bring back the village feel here,” says Martize Tolbert, One Stop Shop’s organizer. Tolbert is director of client and community engagement for The Fountain Fund, an organization that provides financial counseling and low-interest loans to previously incarcerated people who are further along in their re-entry process.
More than 20 nonprofits and other organizations that provide re-entry support set up staffed booths at the first event on July 6. Tolbert got Black Jack’s food truck and DJ Runway to provide complimentary food and beverages and create a festive atmosphere in the parking lot of the District 9 probation and parole office on Harris Street near downtown.
“Every new release has to report to their parole officer within 72 hours, so why not meet them where they’re going to come anyway?” says Tolbert. The event will happen in the same location every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm, and Tolbert says his goal is to eventually create a permanent brick-and-mortar “resource hub” for re-entry services.
Delegate Sally Hudson was among those who came to the inaugural One Stop Shop.
“It’s amazing,” Hudson says. “It really highlights all the incredible work that’s going on in our community to help people make this transition as best they can.”
Among the programs that will be at the weekly gatherings is the city’s Home to Hope initiative, which connects returning citizens to services including employment and housing assistance.
“We can help with the first month’s rent and deposit, depending on how much the amount is,” says Merrick Whitmore, a peer navigator with Home to Hope. “Clothing is a big need for people that are just released out of the system.”
Other organizations that will be present include Network to Work, PVCC, OAR, New Beginnings, and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Melvin Wingate, a peer support specialist with Region Ten, says the event is also helpful for the organizations, which may have complementary missions and serve overlapping populations.
“The relationships connecting with other organizations is a beautiful thing because sometimes, in the time that we live in, we are so divided on so many different levels,” Wingate says. “It is good to see people come together for one common cause, and that is to help their fellow man and help someone get on their feet.”
Tolbert says the entire community is invited to attend One Stop Shop, particularly anyone who’s interested in volunteering with or otherwise assisting returning citizens who are adjusting to their new lives.
“Check us out. Come get a home-cooked meal,” Tolbert says. “Come see re-entry services at its best, and see what collaboration looks like here in Charlottesville.”
Courteney Stuart is the host of “Charlottesville Right Now” on WINA. You can hear her interview with Martize Tolbert at wina.com.