The Illinois Reentry Council executes on its strategic plan in part through its six working groups. IRC members participate in workgroup meetings focused on the important aspects of a comprehensive reentry system, including, but not limited to, housing, employment, and support services.
Workgroups examine their specific issue areas and collaborate on achieving goals set out by members. Co-chairs, who include individuals who were formerly incarcerated, provide guidance and their expertise to shape goals and implementation strategies.
The groups meet between IRC quarterly meetings and hear from experts in their respective fields to gain insight on best practices that can inform how best to execute and evaluate the implementation of workgroup and overarching Illinois Reentry Council goals. They also collaborate with other workgroups around overlapping issues by coordinating action plans and developing a more robust strategy.
Members of this group–which include employers, workforce program developers, and administration of prisons and jails–focus on increasing the number of and access to relevant asset-based adult, technical, career pathways and post-secondary education programs inside the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) and local jail facilities and in communities.
This group explores and identifies funding opportunities and areas of investment to develop and support a strong statewide reentry system, aligning with the work of the other groups.
This group focuses on developing and maintaining a network of localized supports and services that is coordinated and accessible to formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, whether immediately upon release or later during one’s reentry. This network lifts up support that is holistic, healing-centered and gender-responsive.
Members of this group research and develop policy recommendations that will address unique needs of and identified best practices for individuals who navigate reentry and have special considerations. This in effort to be mindful of ways people are further marginalized and often not served by programming or services that do not take into consideration their experiences.
Members work to identify ways to promote housing access for returning individuals through policy recommendations, implementation, and monitoring that will expand their housing opportunities across the board, including those that are gender responsive and tailored to meet health needs.
This group examines the practices, policies, programming, and potential for city, county, and state agencies to support formerly incarcerated individuals. This includes IDOC and local jails to examine if current policies and programming are geared towards preparing individuals for their successful reentry.
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