Reentry Coalition

The odds are against reentering citizens in Erie County. To address the above average recidivism rate, the more than 50 agencies working collectively on the reentry coalition are creating solutions to improve outcomes for those reentering our community. One of the most impactful solutions to date has been the establishment of the Service Link Stop just steps away from the Erie County Holding Center in downtown Buffalo.

The Service Link Stop (SLS) is a one-stop shop, located at 120 West Eagle Street, for reentering individuals to connect with more than 20 agencies that are on-site to assist in identifying their needs and ensuring that they are linked to resources covering a wide range of areas, including mental health, substance abuse prevention, health screenings, education and more.

The SLS, which opened in late 2020, is person centered, meeting each individual “where they are.” The SLS’s data-driven process uses information to guide case work, especially as it relates to accessibility, programming and quality of care and focuses on being future oriented in order to be more equitable and restorative and find solutions that lead to positive change.

The Reentry Coalition is partnering with 2-1-1 WNY to create a virtual Reentry Hub that will include a SLS website. As of August, more than 400 individuals have participated with SLS in 2022.

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After collaborating together, the Reentry Coalition, Peaceprints of Western New York and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office partnered on a federal grant application and were awarded $1 million from the US Department of Justice to start Project Blue. This program helps prepare persons held in county facilities for post-release and includes a number of services with intensive case management. The results have been very encouraging; of those participating in the program, the recidivism rate is 9 percent. That’s compared with the overall county recidivism rate of approximately 80 percent.

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