Faith & Clergy

Unlock the Door to Re-Entry: How We Can Support Homecoming

Published

6 years ago

October 16, 2018

Terri Brown opens her home to KC Matthews, who was recently released from prison. Since his release, KC has obtained his Social Security and California ID card, found a job as a maintenance worker for a housing nonprofit in Oakland, and is taking classes and preparing to get his drivers license.

Thousands of people leave prison each year in California, eager to rejoin their families and ready to become productive, engaged members of our communities.

The transition from confinement is a demanding process; returning people need help getting back on their feet. Access to a safe and reliable place to live is one of the most basic and important things a person needs to ensure successful re-entry. But the prospect of securing housing is extremely difficult due to the nationwide housing crisis that is especially drastic in the Bay Area.

Here in the East Bay, the cost of housing has increased so dramatically for both owners and renters that thousands of people are at very high risk for displacement. People leaving prison, especially those having served lengthy sentences, come home with no financial support, which leaves them even more vulnerable to homelessness and re-incarceration. A recent study shows people who have been to prison once experience homelessness almost seven times more than the general public.

At the same time, there are lots of “hidden” housing assets in our midst. Many homes have an extra bedroom, den, or room that can be offered as a safe and reliable place to live for someone re-entering the community.

Our faith traditions teach believers it is our duty to reach out and help others, especially those who have fallen along the way, providing what we can when we can. With this in mind, we urge homeowners in our community to make a difference to those coming home, and help strengthen our community by participating in the new Homecoming Project sponsored by Impact Justice, a national innovation and research center headquartered in Oakland.

The Homecoming Project is an innovative pilot program that taps into underutilized housing resources in Alameda County. Just as Airbnb enables people to monetize their extra living spaces, the Homecoming Project provides subsidies to homeowners in exchange for renting an extra room to people returning home from lengthy prison terms.

The project empowers hosts and returnees through a strong screening and matching process and by offering ongoing support services including communications, problem solving, decision-making, and collaboration skills coaching. It sets clear rules and expectations for all, ensuring a successful re-entry and inspiring relationship with positive outcomes.

Both hosts and returnees benefit from the program. Hosts enjoy additional income while helping to rebuild lives, reunite families, and strengthen communities. Returnees gain a safe and stable environment to live in, greatly increasing their chances of obtaining employment, gaining new skills, and reducing the likelihood of returning to prison. In addition, our communities will see reductions in homelessness and increases in public safety.

Promoting and practicing repentance, redemption, and reconciliation are tangible examples of faith at work in ways that truly matter.

A home is a key to our common humanity. Help unlock the door for returning men and women. Support the Homecoming Project of Impact Justice. Please contact Terah Lawyer at homecomingproject@impactjustice.org.

Signed,

Dr. Jim Hopkins, Pastor, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church; Bishop Bob Jackson, Senior Pastor, Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ; Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun Magazine, Chair, Network of Spiritual Progressives, Rabbi, Beyt Tikkun Synagogue; Rev. Robert A. Wilkins, Sr., Vice-Chair Board of Trustees Graduate Theological Union and American Baptist Seminary of the West.

East Bay Faith Leaders

Posts by East Bay Faith Leaders

Related Topics:community Criminal Justice Oakland reentry population

Up Next

Black Cowboy Association Holds 44th Annual Parade Festival in West Oakland

Don't Miss

Schools and Communities First Initiative Qualifies for November 2020 Ballot

East Bay Faith Leaders

Click to comment

Activism

Faith Leaders Back Barbara Lee for Mayor, Criticize Candidate Loren Taylor for Dishonest Campaigning

Speaking as individuals, participants in the interview were Pastor Michael Wallace of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church; Pastor Mike McBride, Oakland resident and pastor of the Way Christian Center in Berkeley; Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Thompson of Allen Temple Baptist Church; Bishop Kevin Barnes, pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church; and Bishop Keith Clark of Word Assembly.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 24, 2025

Oakland Post

From left: Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Thompson. Bishop Kevin Barnes. Pastor Mike McBride. Bishop Keith Clark. Pastor Michael Wallace. Courtesy photos.

‘Barbara Lee has a proven track record of listening to the community and translating things into action, and not just talking about it, but doing it. And I believe that this is one of the qualities that will serve her well as being our mayor,’ said Pastor Kevin Barnes

The Black Church PAC, a national faith leaders initiative, will be posting its endorsement of Lee this week

Ken Epstein

Prominent local faith leaders held a telephone interview Thursday with the Oakland Post to express their concerns about the election and their support for former Congresswoman Barbara Lee for Mayor of Oakland.

“I feel that this is a critical election for the City of Oakland,” said Pastor Wallace. “Our city is in a crisis, and we need someone who has the experience to stabilize our city and to go beyond the borders of our city to bring resources to address the issues that we’re facing.”

The leaders also criticized another candidate, former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor, for conducting a dishonest smear campaign against Lee and urged Oakland flatland residents to go to the polls and join efforts to actively encourage others to vote in the April 15 special election.

Pastor McBride said, “I believe Oakland needs to send a loud message that our city is not for sale. Barbara Lee is the epitome of ‘unbought, unbossed’ integrity and is someone who has brought results. It has been very offensive to listen to candidates in this race, particularly Loren Taylor, attempt to disparage her name and discredit her record.”

“I truly believe that Congresswoman Lee is the best-suited candidate” for the job, he continued, adding that it is “absolutely crucial that individuals in our communities, particularly in the flatlands, are encouraged to participate in this process because the stakes are high, and I don’t think we should surrender our city to special interests. We have to let (people) know that our city will not be seized without our voices being heard.”

Pastor McBride added, “The only way we can really ensure that we’re going to be able to do that is to make sure that Oakland does not fall into such dishonor is to vote with a level of turnout that ensures the election is not close.”

“Barbara Lee has spoken for us, not just through slogans and not just through rhetoric, but she’s bought billions of dollars just in the last two years, arguably in the worst era of pandemic suffering. She has helped to stabilize the city,” he said.

Pastor McBride said that this race has attracted a lot of outside “money and supporters who align themselves with the likes of [President Donald] Trump. Any candidate running for mayor of Oakland who can be attractive to MAGA ought to give folks a pause. Why is Barbara Lee not the candidate for MAGA but Loren Taylor seems to be?”

Rev. Thompson said, “I’m concerned about the tone and the tenor of the race. We have proof from Washington, D.C., that elections matter. It is not just a matter of that you are running, but it is also how you are running. So, the idea that there would be an attempt to castigate the character of a woman who’s been wholly committed, not just to her district but to her city, is concerning.

“The idea that misinformation and alternative facts would be allowed to be propagated, unchecked, without any attempt to correct it by someone who seeks to be our leader is challenging to me,” said Thompson. “I support Barbara Lee because Barbara Lee is a proven leader.

“She’s proven that she can bring people together,” she said. “She has also proven when she stood as the lone person against the vote for a blank check in times of war that she cannot be bought, that she will keep the needs of the people, not just the needs of those who are considered elite or up-and-coming, but the needs of the least and the lost and the ‘left out’ of this city.”

Dr. Thompson said, “I support her because has been faithful to this city, whether you have seen her or whether you have not seen her. The millions and billions of dollars that she has brought to our area is unquestionable.”

The Black Church PAC, a national initiative led by faith leaders including Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, will post its endorsement of Congresswoman Barbara Lee this week.

Bishop Clark said, “In times like these we need someone who can fix and build our city and communities, and I believe that Congresswoman Barbara Lee can do the job”

“Barbara Lee has a proven track record of listening to the community and translating things into action, and not just talking about it, but doing it. And I believe that this is one of the qualities that will serve her well as being our mayor,” said Bishop Barnes.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

After Losing All, Black Fire Victims File a Lawsuit; Seek a Way Forward

Zo Williams, an author, radio host and of Altadena told California Black Media (CBM), “My childhood is gone. The city will forever be changed by this horrific event.” Like Williams, many of Altadena’s Black residents are confronting the devastating loss they’ve just experienced and exploring what steps they need to take to move forward.

Published

2 months ago

January 28, 2025

Oakland Post

NAACP logo. The NAACP and Singleton Schreiber have filed a lawsuit against the power company Southern California Edison. The complaint accuses the power utility of starting the fire due to the company’s failure to take “adequate precautions” and improper maintenance and management of electrical equipment it owns.

By Reginald S. Webb, Jr., California Black Media

On Jan. 7, when the Eaton fire ignited in the foothills of Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. Fueled by wind gusts of 80 to 100 miles per hour and dry weather conditions, the fire forced the evacuation of most of Altadena’s 43,000 residents.

Among them were thousands of Black families and individuals who have lived in the racially diverse hillside suburb for generations. Blacks make up about 18% of Altadena’s population and their homeownership rate of more than 80% far outpaces other places in the state and country.

A few days later, many of the Altadena evacuees returned to smoldering or completely burned down remains of their homes destroyed in raging fires that have killed 17 people, charred over 14,000 acres, and damaged 9,300 homes, businesses, places of worship and more.

Zo Williams, an author, radio host and former resident of Altadena told California Black Media (CBM), “My childhood is gone. The city will forever be changed by this horrific event.”

Like Williams, many of Altadena’s Black residents are confronting the devastating loss they’ve just experienced and exploring what steps they need to take to move forward.

On Jan. 14, the California-Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP held a virtual town hall to advise fire victims on their legal options. The event was organized in partnership with the law firm Singleton Schreiber.

The NAACP and Singleton Schreiber have filed a lawsuit against the power company Southern California Edison. The complaint accuses the power utility of starting the fire due to the company’s failure to take “adequate precautions” and improper maintenance and management of electrical equipment it owns.

Gerald Singleton, Managing Partner of the law firm, told CBM, “After a disaster occurs sometimes, people don’t know where to go for resources. The NAACP is on the ground guiding people in the right direction.

The NAACP and Singleton Schreiber, the nation’s leading and largest fire litigation practice, have scheduled a second town hall for fire victims on Jan. 21.

On Jan. 17, a town hall was held at a Pasadena Church in Pasadena. Political and civic leaders, businessowners, grieving residents and more came together to share information, reflect on the past, talk about the way forward and assess the damage from the blaze that CalFire has described as the second most destructive wildfire in California’s history. The deadliest and most destructive fire in California history was the Camp Fire, which broke out in Butte County in 2018, claimed 85 lives and caused damage totaling $16.65 billion.

The Eaton fire destroyed important pieces of Southern California’s Black history. The city of Altadena was one of the first places in Southern California where Black families were allowed to buy homes in the Los Angeles area.

Pastor Kerwin Manning of Pasadena Church says he didn’t sustain damage to his church or his house but, he and his wife have not been able to return home since they evacuated on Jan. 7. Other members of his congregation were not so fortunate. Seventeen of them lost their homes.

Manning says he’s unofficially calling the recovery process, “Operation Beauty Will Rise.”

He quotes Isiah 61:3, “To provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Second Anniversary of FAME Oakland Fire Approaches with Powerful Commemorative Weekend

“The essence of a church lies in the actions taken outside the physical confines of a building. I am immensely proud of our congregation for their unwavering dedication to serving others and connecting community even in the face of adversity,” stated the Rev. Dr. Rodney D. Smith.

Published

2 months ago

January 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Pastor Rodney sits in the church's sanctuary following the devastating three alarm fire in 2023.

By Oakland Post Staff

As the second anniversary of the fire that devastated First AME Church of Oakland (FAME Oakland) approaches, the oldest African American church in the East Bay is gearing up for a major commemorative weekend.

Despite the loss of their permanent church home, FAME Oakland has remained steadfast in its mission of evangelism and growth through mental health, ministry and music.

FAME Oakland will host its second annual “Up From the Ashes” Commemorative Weekend, Feb. 22-23 (UFTA25).

The UFTA25 weekend kicks off with a “Community Day” on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Prescott Elementary School from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This day will focus on holistic wellness, providing essential resources, mental health conversations, and fun activities for attendees, who will also receive a grocery card.

On Sunday, Feb. 23, the Musical Experience featuring Grammy-winning artist and gospel icon Jonathan McReynolds will take place at the Bridge Yard, 210 Burma Rd., Oakland, CA 94607. This night of inspiration and upliftment will coincide with Pastor Rodney unveiling the next steps of FAME Oakland’s rebuild journey.

“Our rebuild is a journey towards reshaping the landscape of our spiritual leadership in Oakland and the greater East Bay area. We have taken the necessary time to reflect, heal, and envision the future of FAME for the next century, and I’m excited to share this vision with Oakland during our UFTA weekend.”

To purchase tickets for the musical experience with Jonathan McReynolds, go to www.tinyurl.com/Ufta25musical