Eaglevision Ministries, Inc.814 North Washington Ave Lansing, Michigan

48906, www.eaglevisionministries.orgwww.eaglevisionministries.org

Eaglevision

• Non-profit• Faith-based• Community-based• Social service agency • Specializing in ex-offender issues• Grant funded workforce development

programs• Partner with Capital Area Michigan

Works!

Motto: Bringing Help and Hope toIndividuals, Families and Communities!

Eaglevision History

• Incorporated in 2003• Emerged from 20 years of jail ministry

at the Ingham County Jail• First program 2005 for 82 ex-offender

females had a 62% employment rate and 0% recidivism

• Strong community involvement

Eaglevision Workforce Development Programs

• Adult WIA program includes a female re-entry program

• Dislocated Worker/NWLB program• WIA Youth program for high school

drop-outs ages 17-21 years• Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative

(MPRI) Program, employment • Youthbuild for drop-outs ages 18-24

years interested in construction

GED Graduation- May 2009

Workforce Development Opportunities

• Advanced training in high demand Jobs

• College degrees and certifications• Paid work experiences for youth• On the job training subsidies• Work related clothing and supplies• Transportation, supportive services

Other Eaglevision Programs

• GED Completion• Cyberschool• Substance Abuse Treatment and

Prevention groups• Community Service Opportunities• Family Reunification

All Female SA Treatment Program

Eaglevision’s Vision

• Transitional housing for youth• Technology based learning program• Women’s shelter/transitional living

program• Restaurant Management Training

program• Protocol Project

Youth Serving at the VOA

Veteran’s Standdown 2008

Youth in Class

Youth on the Job

Christmas Shopping at Eaglevision!

Empowering Ex-offender FemalesL.Bouknight MD, D.Ralston BA,MA

• Mental Health, Alcohol/Drugs/Health Issues

• Employment/Training/Education• Expungement• Relationships/Parenting/Domestic

Violence• Money Management• Summary/What Works?!

Common Mental Health Issues

• It has been recognized that the incidence of mental health diagnoses is disproportionate in the jail/prison populations

• Diagnoses include Anxiety Disorders including: Post traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive compulsive disorder, Panic

• Anxiety/depression

Common Mental Health Issues Con’t

• Depression• Bi-Polar (Manic-Depressive illness)• Personality Disorders including

borderline personality• Schizophrenia• Issues of sexual abuse and low self

esteem• ADD and ADHD

Alcohol /Drug Disorders

• Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol early• Stunted emotional maturation• Self medication of mood disorders• Marijuana, amphetamines• Cocaine• Heroin• Prescription drugs, vicodin, xanax, etc.

Fallout from Alcohol/Drugs AddictionLosses

• Loss of self esteem, prostitution• Loss of children, protective services• Loss of health, Hepatitis C, B, HIV/AIDS• Loss of employment• Loss of freedom, incarceration for

criminal activities• Loss of family• Loss of housing, homelessness

Losses Continued

• Loss of coping skills- There is only one trick (solution) in the trick bag- drugs. Every emotion is “medicated” even the pleasant ones.

• “Prison” spirit• “Poverty” spirit

Other Health Issues

• Cervical cancer• Tuberculosis• Hepatitis/HIV/AIDS• Endocarditis• Gastritis/PUD/Anemias• Stroke/MI• Seizures

Money, Money, Money

• Dysfunctional use of money related to drug addiction

• Using $1000-$1500/day of cocaine does little to aid understanding of budgeting and money management

• Distortion of the value of money• Long term planning is not a part of the

life of an addict or person with a “prison” spirit

Money con’t

• Money (paycheck) is frequently a trigger for drug relapse

• Dysfunctional use of money in guilty parenting

• Money will be spent rapidly to avoid negative use

• “Bad” banking and poor credit history is a barrier to checking accounts

Money Management

• Must be taught and re taught• Guided shopping trips with lists, point

out impulse shopping• Budgeting with percentage guidelines

for categories such as rent, food, clothing, transportation, utilities, etc.

• Financial workshops, Savings incentives

• Planning, planning, planning!

Getting Started in Re-entry

• Start small, incorporate as a non-profit with a simple mission

• Clothing closet, food kitchen, hygiene items

• Assistance with pre-employment steps: birth certificates, state ID’s, drivers licenses

• Counseling, parenting classes, substance abuse treatment groups

Getting Started Continued

• Ex-offender support groups• Mentoring programs for ex-offenders• GED completion programs• After school program for children of

offenders• Mentoring program for children of

incarcerated parents

Getting Started Continued

• Grants for financing programs include federal dollars, private, & local dollars

• Assemble a cadre of people with different areas of expertise such as workforce development, accounting, grant writing, public relations, lobbying, therapists, & ministers

• Write vision and mission statements

What Works?!

• Relationships change behavior• “Education” does little to change behavior• Over use of incarceration leads to more crime because

of the “breakdown of social and family bonds that guide individual away from crime, remove adults who would otherwise nurture children,

What Works Continued

• Deprive communities of income, reduce future income potential and engender a deep resentment toward the legal system”

• Lower crime rates are linked to increases in the local police force, decreases in unemployment, higher wages, & higher graduation rates

What Works Continued

• 10% increase in graduation rates results in a 9.4% reduction in the index crime rate and a 5-10% reduction in arrest rates through the increased wages associated with graduation

• Individual-level empowerment!• Family-level empowerment!• Community-level transformation!

What Works!