Second Chances focuses on strengthening the Delaware community by connecting ex-prisoners with an individual mentor relationship from Partnering Faith Communities, Service Organizations and passionate individuals. Our underlying goal is to stabilize the lives of formerly incarcerated persons, reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and reduce taxpayer costs of arrest, sentencing, and incarceration. We believe that one of the keys to a successful re-entry process is having access to a positive role model. By providing a mentor we are ensuring this need is met. The program is two-pronged, providing both mentor and participant training.  Ideal matches are when mentors and participants have both completed training.

We provide and facilitate mentor training to prepare all mentors for their future work with their matched participants. This initial orientation session reviews basic information such as an overview of ACRL, how we are funded, our clients and policies and procedures. Additionally, we provide we tips and tools for how to best communicate with this demographic as well as set expectations so mentors know what to anticipate during the relationship.

Anyone can be a mentor since we all have special skills and abilities to share. However, since it is very easy to develop a close relationship with your participant our requirement is that our mentors are all emotionally mature. During our orientation session we stress understanding and communicating your boundaries to your participant. Since our participants are all at least 18 years of age we do require our mentors to also be over the age of 18.

We provide resources to ex-prisoners during the ACRL Pre-Release Transformational Reentry Readiness Workshop, which focuses on Group Cognitive Behavior Therapy & Emotional Management, with A Lifeskills Component. The purpose of this is to ensure that as these men and women re-enter after incarceration they are better prepared to deal with underlying issues that may have previously hindered their positive progress.

After completion of the behavioral portion, we also provide financial and entrepreneurial training. This training empowers our participants to either find employment or start a business of their own upon return to their community.

If you would like more information on our program with us please contact us at
(302) 428-3850 or info@relationalliving.org

The Second Chances Employment Program assists formerly incarcerated, qualified men and women obtain gainful employment. By combining soft skills training with targeted job search (as provided by the Job Developer), we are confident that we will successfully place 100 clients in the next year. The Center for Relational Living is currently collaborating with West End Neighborhood House, Latin American Community Center, and Ministry of Caring. These agencies provide an Employment Specialist that assesses clients and provide soft skills training.The level and timing of soft skills training needed is individualized.

Upon completion of this training, the individual is then eligible for job placement opportunities generated by the Job Developer. The Job Developer is also collaborating with the Department of Labor (DOL) resources such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for employers, Federal Bonding Insurance Program to protect employers, and DOL Employment & Training for clients. The Second Chances Employment Program is funded through United Way and is an initiative to help reduce recidivism in Delaware while building stronger communities. If you know a person with a criminal background that would like to enroll in our program, or if you know of employment opportunities in New Castle County, or if you would like more information about the program feel free to contact our Job Developer Haneef Salaam by email haneef@relationalliving.org or by phone (302) 428-3850.