Sept. 13, 2022, LOS ANGELES, CA., Today, September 13th, 2022, Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), announced the arrival of the Homecoming Project to Los Angeles, a project aimed at combating homelessness among the formerly incarcerated. The 2022 budget allocation of $15 million to non-profit Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project seeks to bring a paradigm-shifting response to high rates of homelessness among people leaving prison.
“I am proud to have secured $15 million for Impact Justice through our state budget, affirming our commitment to restorative justice, rehabilitation efforts, and ensuring that individuals who have served their time and been paroled, have dignity in their reentry into society,” said Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo. “For too long, thousands of families across California have struggled with recidivism, systematically being fed into a destructive cycle that brings people in and out of prison and continued poverty.”
“By investing in housing and workforce development, we are tackling this issue head on, providing Californians a fair chance to rebuild their lives. Impact Justice’s programs, in particular the Homecoming Project, will bring meaningful change that aligns with our state's values to reduce recidivism rates and create healthy and safe communities.”
The $15 million dollar earmark also supports other Impact Justice endeavors that open doors to professional development and living-wage jobs for formerly incarcerated people in California. The funding from the California State Legislature will enable the Homecoming Project to begin operating in the greater Los Angeles area by 2023.
“Homelessness, barriers to employment, and other overlapping problems that keep formerly incarcerated people from reaching their potential and that undermine the safety, health, and well-being of communities require creative interventions. This funding will enable us to scale and develop boundary-breaking programs that focus on expanding opportunity as the way to build thriving communities and a more just society,” said Impact Justice President, Alex Busansky.
First launched in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018, the Homecoming Project matches individuals leaving prison with mainly low-to-moderate income homeowners who have a spare room and want to assist an individual’s successful reentry.
Instead of the individual paying rent, the project pays the host a stipend for up to six months, additional income that helps to offset rising costs of living in cities. The project also supports individuals leaving prison for up to six months—providing enough to adjust to life outside prison, meet their immediate needs, find a job, and long-term housing.
Over the past four years, the Homecoming Project has garnered national and international recognition, built a loyal host community in the Bay Area, and helped more than 80 people make a fresh start in life, and none have reentered the prison system.
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Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo was elected as the representative of the 51st Assembly District in December of 2017. She is currently the Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, and a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Health, Housing and Community Development, and Utilities and Energy.
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