Resource center for people returning from jail opens in Tioga

A new center for those attempting to reintegrate into society following a stint in prison officially opened Wednesday in North Philadelphia.

Assata Thomas, executive director of the city’s Office of Reentry Partnerships, said she envisions the facility, dubbed the Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC), as a “one-stop shop” for residents making the difficult transition.

The initiative is a partnership between Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration and Uplift Solutions, a nonprofit that provides programming for people returning from jail, also known as returning citizens.

Uplift participants spend their first two weeks taking life skills classes. They can then enroll in workforce training programs to obtain a commercial driver’s license or get certified in HVAC repair. Digital literacy sessions are also offered.

The organization provides a stipend, SEPTA fare card and free lunch. Case management services continue for three years after individuals graduate from the program, according to the nonprofit’s leaders.

Inside the center are two classrooms, a kitchenette and a computer lab with soundproof booths for meetings between returning citizens and their probation or parole officers. Office space will be used by the city to provide services that previously could only be accessed in Center City.

The NRC occupies a section of Allegheny West Plaza, a building constructed in 2021 next to SEPTA’s 23rd and Venango Bus Loop in the Tioga neighborhood.

“We are removing barriers,” said Adam Geer, the city’s chief public safety director, “removing barriers for our folks, our family, our community members, making sure they have all access to all of the city resources that we have.”

Parker, who spoke at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, said her administration plans to open NRCs around Philadelphia.

“But you need a model. You need a pilot. You need a place to start,” the mayor told those in attendance. “I call this proof of concept. If you want people to make an investment, you have to show them in a very tangible way that you mean exactly what it is that you say.”

She referred to the reentry programming as “an essential part of our prevention strategy,” and Atif Bostic, Uplift’s president and CEO, argued that combating recidivism reduces crime. Recidivism occurs when someone released from jail commits further offenses and is reincarcerated.

Uplift, on its website, touts a recidivism rate of 2% for program participants. The organization was founded 15 years ago by grocer and one-time mayoral candidate Jeff Brown and his wife, Sandy, who is board chair.