Work Groups

Communications Taskforce

Meets every 4th Thursday, 11:00-12:00pm @ Project Lia

Current Strategies:

1. Provide an easy to maintain flow of administrative information and procedures in order to effectively share tasks and increase member engagement & to foster a healthy and cohesive work environment for MCRC members

2. Support more time-efficient in-person meetings

3. Build stronger mission-focused conversations in and between workgroups.

Employment & Education Work Group

Meets every 3rd Thursday; 8:30-10:00am @ CICF

Objective: Returning citizens will find and retain jobs with adequate pay and benefits.

Current Strategies:

1. Develop Career Pathway Framework 

2. Develop Trauma-Informed Communication Materials for Employers

3. Increase Access to Transitional Jobs 

Housing Taskforce

Meets every 2nd Wednesday; 10:00-11:30am @ United Way

Objective: All adults with a criminal history in Marion County are housed.

Current Strategies:

1. Establish comprehensive and inclusive definitions of homelessness and housing instability to identify data points and gaps in services/resource allocation

2. Identify data sources and data collection points to help facilitate a more integrated process for tracking and sharing data around homelessness and housing

3. Identify opportunities for the city to prioritize funding and/or create incentives that address housing barriers for returning citizens and individuals with criminal backgrounds

4. Explore and pursue housing programs and pilot opportunities in Marion Co. specifically targeted at underserved or marginalized populations within criminal justice 

5. Collaborate with CoC and other housing resource groups in the community to create a resource of current housing types and inventory that serve returning citizens and individuals with backgrounds

Interfaith Re-Entry Taskforce

Meeting time varies

Objective: Improve faith leaders' ability to improve the lives of people and families affected by the criminal justice system.

Current Strategies:

1. Hold informational sessions for faith-based providers

2. Create a guide of faith-based resources

Policy Committee

Meets every 4th Friday, 2:00-3:00pm @ Community Solutions, Inc.

Current Strategies:

1. Identify policy recommendations (programmatic and legislative) from each work group

2. Develop a rubric for prioritizing policy efforts

Services Work Group

Meets every 3rd Thursday, 3:00-4:30pm @ PACE, Inc. 

Objective: Returning citizens receive Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) aligned assessment, case planning, and care coordination that aligns with the MCRC’s Re-entry Approach. 

Current Strategies:

1. Expand Capacity of CJ Providers and Community-Based Agencies

2. Driver’s License/BMV-Related Issues

3. Community Justice Campus Re-Entry Space Services Recommendations

System Redesign Work Group

Meets every first Thursday, 3:00-4:30pm @ CICF

Objective: Returning citizens are well prepared for successful re-entry upon release from incarceration

Current Strategies:

1. Access to Healthcare from Arrest to Release

2. Community Justice Campus Programming/Services Array, Complex Design