Community Family Life Services Launches "Starter Kit" Initiative for Formerly

Incarcerated Women in the District of Columbia

This new women’s reentry initiative provides women returning home from DOC or BOP a "Starter
Kit" containing the essential tools needed to thrive.

Washington, DC, October 17, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Today, Community Family Life Services officially
launched a new women’s reentry initiative. They are working closely with their partners, the DC
Department of Corrections READY Center, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, 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 most critical time of a woman’s reentry are the days immediately following her release,” said
Ashley McSwain, Executive Director, Community Family Life Services. “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 equip women with the necessary tools to ensure she has a
successful start.”

“I am extremely excited to partner with Community Family Life Services in their ‘Starter Kit’ Initiative,”
said Shari L. McCoy, Director of the Fairview Women’s Reentry Center. “I congratulate CFLS for having
the foresight in understanding the need for the services they will provide with this project, as well as the
tools and tangible items the consumers will receive, especially during this pandemic. I look forward to
working closely with CFLS as we foster reentry services, prosocial behavior and lifestyle changes.”

The Starter Kit includes items such as a laptop computer/tablet, or kindle, prepaid mobile telephone,
transportation stipend, hygiene items, Personal Protective Equipment (mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.),
access to business attire, and informational flyers. The Starter Kit also offers customization so women can
remove specific barriers to her own circumstances.

“CFLS specializes in providing gender-responsive services to assist women in overcoming the unique
challenges of transitioning home after a period of incarceration,” McSwain said. “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. The Starter Kit initiative is an invaluable
complement to our existing reentry programming.”

To learn more about the Starter Kit initiative, please call 202-347-0511 or email amcswain@cflsdc.org.

About Community Family Life Services

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. To learn more about CFLS, please visit www.cflsdc.org.

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About Department of Corrections Ready Center
The Resources to Empower and Develop You (READY) Center is a consolidated location where formerly
incarcerated District of Columbia residents can access services from Community Based Organizations
(CBO), the Department of Corrections (DOC), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Department of
Employment Services (DOES), Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of Behavioral Health
(DBH), and The Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA), to ensure successful
reintegration into the community. To learn more about READY Center, please visit
www.doc.dc.gov/service/ready-center.

About Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency

Effectively supervise adults under our jurisdiction to enhance public safety, reduce recidivism, support
the fair administration of justice, and promote accountability, inclusion and success through the
implementation of evidence-based practices in close collaboration with our criminal justice partners and
the community. To learn more about CSOSA, please visit www.csosa.gov.

About DC Reentry Action Network

RAN is a coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide direct reentry services to justice involved DC
residents. RAN gives its members a platform to exchange information, address issues of mutual concern,
strengthen services, and act as a collective voice to best meet the complex and varied needs of
incarcerated and returning citizens in the District. To learn more about RAN, please visit
www.dc-ran.org.

About Fairview Halfway House

The DC Department of Corrections contracts with community release programs who operate facilities
known as community correctional centers or halfway houses. The US District Court for DC and the
Superior Court of DC place pretrial offenders and sentenced misdemeanants in halfway houses as an
alternative to incarceration. The halfway houses offer a variety of educational opportunities and other
programming services. To learn more about Fairview Halfway House, please visit
www.doc.dc.gov/page/correctional-facilities.

About Federal Bureau of Prisons

We protect public safety by ensuring that federal offenders serve their sentences of imprisonment in
facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and provide reentry programming
to ensure their successful return to the community. To learn more about BOP, please visit www.bop.gov.

About House of Ruth

Founded in 1976, House of Ruth empowers women, children and families to rebuild their lives and heal
from trauma, abuse and homelessness. House of Ruth offers comprehensive support for women, children
and families. Our continuum of services encompasses enriched housing for families and single women,
trauma-informed daycare for children, and free counseling to empower anyone, regardless of gender, who
is a survivor of trauma and abuse. Our programs provide individualized support to rebuild safe,
independent, and sustainable lives. To learn more about House of Ruth, please visit
www.houseofruth.org.

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About Jubilee Housing
Jubilee Housing’s mission is to build diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for
everyone to thrive. We envision a city and a world where access to basic resources and opportunities are
available to all people and where people live out these opportunities in the context of supportive
community. To learn more about Jubilee Housing, please visit www.jubileehousing.org.

About Thrive DC
Thrive DC works to prevent and end homelessness in Washington, DC by providing vulnerable people
with a wide range of services to help stabilize their lives. Founded in 1979 to serve dinner to homeless
women, Thrive DC has grown to be a comprehensive, professionally staffed, bilingual organization
serving more than 2,000 men, women, and children each year. To learn more about Thrive DC, please
visit www.thrivedc.org.

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Contact Information:
Community Family Life Services
Ashley McSwain
202-347-0511
Contact via Email
cflsdc.org

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/823524

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