Changing Perceptions enables formerly incarcerated individuals (returning citizens) to reach their full potential, personally and professionally. Our goal is to create a life and career pathway for returning citizens willing to work hard that breaks the cycle of incarceration and intergenerational poverty.We are not a program looking for results. We are a program focused on returning citizens tran
sforming their lives and those of their families and communities. We focus on people who are ready to go “all in” to change their lives, and we go all in with them- providing seed capital to start a business or an intensive apprenticeship to learn a trade or transferrable skill, intensive mentorship in a focus area of choice, a “Navigator” acting as part case manager and part peer mentor to help each participant set goals and achieve them, and a cocoon of family-like support reminding each person of his or her incredible value and the love their Creator has for them. Because we are all of value, and because we all have things to give and unique gifts to share, but we all need an infrastructure of support around us to be able to reach this potential. We also do this work because it’s smart policy. A year in prison costs $30K. A year on supervised release costs $3K. ~56% of returning citizens recidivate within a year vs.
