Homeward Indy
Homeward Indy
Episode 32 - Breaking Chains: Raymond, Lin, and Jeannie on Transformative Re-entry Support with PACE
Featuring:
Raymond Powell, Pre-Release Manager
Melinda “Lin” Adkisson, Peer Coach &
Jeannie Reed, Peer Recovery Services Manager
Ever wondered how much impact a second chance can have on someone's life? Hear firsthand from Raymond Powell, Lin Adkisson, and Jeannie Reed, three individuals who have taken the resources and support from PACE (Public Advocates for Community Reentry) and turned them into transformative life changes. Ray, once a client, now works as a program manager, while Lin has progressed from facing justice involvement to becoming a Peer Coach and Food Service Manager with PACE's guidance. Jeannie also came to PACE as a client, and was recruited by PACE as a diversion specialist, and later became the Peer Recovery Services Manager. Their compelling journeys highlight the critical importance of lived experiences and robust support systems.
This episode places a spotlight on PACE’s multifaceted efforts to aid justice-involved individuals in reintegrating into society. Lin discusses the vital work she does and the necessity of building connections before release, while Raymond offers insights into his moral reclamation therapy program. Together, they paint a vivid picture of how PACE’s comprehensive services—such as emergency assistance, re-entry programming and resume-building workshops—work in tandem with community organizations to offer holistic support. We also delve into the organization's advocacy work, from influencing legislative policies to providing essential direct services under the leadership of CEO Rhiannon Edwards.
Lastly, we tackle the misunderstandings around working with those who have had justice-involvement. We illustrate the dedication and potential of justice-involved individuals when given employment opportunities, breaking down common misconceptions and showcasing the positive impacts on both personal and professional fronts. Through personal stories and advocacy, this episode demonstrates how employers partnering with organizations like PACE can make a substantial difference, offering hope and tangible support to those working to rebuild their lives. Join us, and discover the powerful impact of community, healing, and second chances.
Learn more, donate, or get involved at https://paceindy.org/
And we are advocating with our lived experience. You see, lynn and Jeannie, with the lived experience they got, you can't put that in a bottle and sell it. You have to go through it.
Speaker 1:Each day. They're going to learn resume building. They're going to learn how to talk about their conviction in front of an employer.
Speaker 3:I'll just speak for myself. I am a person with justice involvement in substance use issues. I am a hard worker, I am loyal, I'm going to go above and beyond, and I'm not the only one.
Speaker 4:Welcome to Homeward Indie, a bi-weekly conversation where we meet the people working to end homelessness in Indianapolis and hear their stories. I'm Elliot Zanz and I'm Steve Barnhart, lynn, jeannie and Ray. Thank you so much for being a part of Homeward Indie.
Speaker 2:Thank you for coming.
Speaker 4:I'm excited, and I think our listeners will be too, to hear about Pace and also to hear about your stories. But let's just kick it off by each of you introducing yourself just a little bit, so that our listeners know your voice. So, uh, ray, you want to go first?
Speaker 2:oh man, you put me on the spot. Yeah, oh man, I knew it was gonna happen, all right. Uh, yeah, I'm Raymond Powell, so they call me Ray In the spot. Some of them call me Ray Ray Jones, and I think I got another one Hold up. Oh, raymond Denzel, I got that one too, right? Yeah, they ain't called me that since we moved. So we done got bougie over here though, right.
Speaker 1:Uh-oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I've been here. I've been at Pace for about almost two years now. I came in as a client. In fact, this is my case manager right here GD.
Speaker 4:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:We were supposed to tell nobody that right, so yeah. I walked in the doors as a client at Pace and I went through orientation and you know the whole interviewing process. I actually had a job working as a drop driver for AVI Foods, so I used to deliver vending food to different locations and stuff like that Right. And so you know, I ended up. I said, man, I can't keep doing this. I got a four-year degree, I got you know pretty good, you know communication skills, and then I got a passion for people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, excellent. So just real quickly, how long ago was it you walked in here as a client?
Speaker 2:I'm going to say July of 2022.
Speaker 4:Okay, yeah, so about two years ago, about two years ago. Okay, so about two years ago, about two years ago. And how long have you been working here then?
Speaker 2:I've been working here since August, so they hired me. Oh real quick.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so real quick.
Speaker 2:You went from client to employee fast To employee fast, right, and that's why a lot of times you try to keep your name good out here. I actually met a young lady while I was in prison, so I served 26 years in prison. I met a young lady while I was in prison. She came in, she was a Valpo exchange student for a program called Inside Out and she was a intern for Pace for a while, and so I didn't even notice this whole connection thing, right, but anyway, she ended up putting a word in for me at Pace before I got here.
Speaker 2:So that was my connection, so I came in as a client and then I got a good reference and then you know the rest is history. Now I'm a program manager here, excellent.
Speaker 4:Lynn.
Speaker 1:Well, my story is similar to Raymond. I was released from prison in 2008,. So a little bit longer for me. And so when I was released in 2008, I too was a client here. I came through here as a client, and so, with me coming through here as a client, I was able to get the resources and services that I needed at that time to help me build on my different you know job networking skills. So it took me a little bit longer. I had to go through some different barriers, I had to deal with some different obstacles as far as with different jobs. You know, sometimes when you have that justice involvement piece, it takes you a little bit longer to get to where you need to be, and so, to make a long story short, I was able to connect with Pace later on in life. First of all, I was working at Indigo and I was a driver Not the big bus, but the short bus at the time, so I was picking up. I had to be specific with that.
Speaker 1:So I was picking up handicapped people, people that are in wheelchairs, people that are blind. I had did that for almost three years. I was called door-to-door back then. So that was a great job and it was a great opportunity. So, to make a long story short, I was just looking one day on the web and it said that they were hiring for a peer coach, and then I looked at the overview, I looked at the requirements, what was needed for the job, and I said you know, I think I'd be good at this position. I think I'm very intelligent, I think I'm very smart. I think I'm very smart, I think I'm very savvy and I think I have what is needed for this job, especially when we have that lived experience.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 1:And so I did reach out. So once I did submit my application, I didn't hear anything back until maybe the next day and, unbeknownst to me, I was given the opportunity to have an interview. I was able to interview, and so the interview went great. We had a good rapport, just I mean right off the top. And so when the interview was done I said okay, so when can I start? I mean, that's just how good the interview was.
Speaker 4:It felt right, it felt right, interview was done. I said okay, so when can I start? I mean, that's just how good it felt.
Speaker 1:It felt right, it felt right, and so that is pretty much how I arrived here.
Speaker 4:And how long ago was that?
Speaker 1:It's been two years.
Speaker 4:Two years.
Speaker 1:Next month, july, about like.
Speaker 4:Ray, that you got. You two have been here about the same amount of time.
Speaker 1:That is correct. Absolutely Okay, jeannie.
Speaker 4:Absolutely Okay, jeannie.
Speaker 3:Hi. So, Steve, you asked how I got here to Pace, yeah, and what you do anything you want to share? Well, similar to both of them. You know, I came to Pace as a client in 2018. I was sitting outside the doors for an orientation Monday. I was released on a Thursday, so I was here on a Monday. I was a client for about a year and during COVID, some things had happened and some things changed and Pace actually reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to be a diversion specialist, and I was like I don't even know what diversion is. I mean, I've been diverting the cops for a while, but I don't even know what that means. And so they gave me a shot and I've been here for four years. Um, now I am manager of peer recovery services. Um, I don't know. I I just got here because I I seen their flyer in while I was incarcerated and stole it from the re-entry folder.
Speaker 3:Um, that's the last crime I committed stealing state property that was a good one, though, I think I think it was the best one and um for for y'all, I have replaced that flyer multiples of times um, but yeah, they, they have some stuff that I needed, you know, and I had never heard of it, you know. So, uh, follow the directions and got here great, speaking of heard of it.
Speaker 4:I'm sure we have listeners who don't know about PACE, or maybe they know about the name. They've kind of probably based on each of your stories caught the gist of it. But how would you explain to our listeners what PACE is, what it does, what comes to mind?
Speaker 1:What comes to mind? Well, pace is basically an acronym. That means Public Advocates for Community Reentry, because we are a reentry organization, and what does that look like to our listeners? What that means is that we basically focus on people who have justice involvement, what I normally do as a peer coach. That is my main job. I'm also the food service manager here also, but I go into the jails and do the orientation for the men and women that are housed there, and that's exactly what I do. I tell them about our services. So, basically, I let them know who I am. I let them know my name is Lynn. I also have justice involvement.
Speaker 4:I was released in 2008, I came to pace as a client and now I'm working at pace okay and so that's really how I start my story so part of whatACE does is they don't wait until folks are out of prison or jail. They actually go in ahead of time before release and say we're out here and make that connection.
Speaker 3:I think real simply for me, if someone asked me what PACE does is support individuals, you know that's real simple. I can help support you. Pace as an organization can support you facing those barriers, breaking down those barriers. Having someone that's been through that and just be there for an individual you know and part of the community, help supporting you get back into the community, whatever that might look like. There's a lot of different aspects that we do but, connection you know support and connections connections huge.
Speaker 4:What are some of those services that are provided?
Speaker 1:well, we advocate for housing. When I say advocate, that's exactly what it means. We meet people where they're at. For instance, if you have someone that's currently housed or incarcerated, just say at the community justice center. We know, you know right now they're not working.
Speaker 1:And so you know a big piece is is that a lot of people who come here? They have you know all these different, you know different ambitions of wanting, you know to get housing and everything like that and we say we have to meet you where you're at. So if you're incarcerated and we know you're not working, we might have to look into emergency services.
Speaker 2:What does?
Speaker 1:emergency services look like. It depends on what your needs are. If you are in recovery, I'm also a peer recovery coach are. If you are in recovery, I'm also a peer recovery coach. So if you are in recovery and you need help, we can look in different say.
Speaker 1:Different pathways, yeah, pathways like transitional housing, or maybe Hickory or something like that. Now, if you don't have addiction-related problem, then basically we'd have to look into emergency services, meaning on the ground floor. What does that look like? Maybe a shelter if you don't have family or friends or someone that can advocate for you to be housed there, and a lot of things go with. That is employment.
Speaker 1:That's something else that we do here. We have a workshop. Right now we're in the middle of AYC AYC stands for Advancing your Career, and so it's an eight-day cohort, which means that basically we're going to show you with the different colleagues that you know I work with. We have, like, a financial coach. We have different people, like Raymond that does his you know his spiel so or Jeannie, you know that talks maybe on that recovery side, but each day they're going to learn resume building. They're going to learn how to talk about their conviction in front of an employer. These are just some of the things that we do here at PACE.
Speaker 4:We have pay for housing.
Speaker 1:We have different employment workshops. We have different other services that we focus on if you need that other piece. As far as recovery, we also, you know, partner with a lot of different partnerships here in Annapolis, meaning that if we can't offer a certain service, we have different partnerships throughout Indy. That does.
Speaker 4:Yeah, as you were speaking there, I was thinking about that. Were speaking there, I was thinking about that. Going back to connecting, you're also helping people connect with other services that they may need.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, because when you are going through some things, it's not just what we can do, but what can the community do in making those connections with the community. I know, like All of our staff members know, a lot of things right.
Speaker 3:Yes, and a lot of people, because we've made those connections over the years. If Raymond has a guy that is coming home and has state socks with holes in them and ain't got nowhere to go to get new socks or no money to get socks, we're going to hook him up with some socks, and if we don't, we're going to connect him with somebody that has that. Or same with Lynn, him with somebody that that has that or same with lynn, you know, I think it connecting individuals to other organizations is huge you know, so that they have all the information and all the resources um that they can get.
Speaker 3:You know, I I needed all that. When I came home, I needed food resources, clothing resources, and so You're starting with a blank slate Blank and less than blank sometimes.
Speaker 4:Yes, Actually harder than blank. So Ray Lynn mentioned what you do around here.
Speaker 2:What do you do around here? So I'm a program manager for a program that just got off the ground. We've been up for about a little bit over a year now. It's called Breaking the Chains. What we do, we have to, you know, get certified to go in and do what is called moral reclamation therapy and the concept with moral reclamation therapy. Don't try to look this up. Moral reclamation therapy and the concept with moral reclamation therapy. Don't try to look this up. The reclamation, because it's a word, actually a term that they coined themselves, the institute, right, and it. It comes from the word cone, to recone, right, and the concept is is that what you put on the top of the cone comes out of the bottom, right? And so a lot of trauma got put in the top of the cone, with a lot of people that's in prison.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:So we try to re-cone that situation, even though there is no cure for trauma. So we just try to put some other things in place for them to be able to deal with the trauma that probably led them to prison, right? Yes, but I want to back up a little bit about the agency, right? This is one of the things that I try to do a lot in this agency is I remind myself a lot about this and I remind others that it's in the name public advocates.
Speaker 4:That's what we do. Yeah, I was wondering that when Lynn mentionedn mentioned that what it stands for. What does that mean? So, like advocate?
Speaker 2:so we advocate, we do case advocacy, we do pure advocacy, we do system advocacy and we do self-advocacy, right so, and there there's levels to advocacy, right so, and everybody has their own space to advocate, right so, like, uh, we just we were down at the statehouse last year it's advocacy day at the statehouse.
Speaker 2:So we not only try to affect change, like direct service, but we also try to affect legislation policy, because policies can. They can. They can derail a program in a second Right, and that's what we're doing. Right so we we don't want to come up with a whole bunch of programs and then a policy just derail a program in a second right, and that's what we're doing. Right so we don't want to come up with a whole bunch of programs and then a policy just derail those. Right so we advocate on a system level as well, right so, while we are in the institution and working hand-in-hand with guys, we also letting them know that we are here for you when you come home. And we are in the statehouse and we are advocating with our lived experience. As you see, um, uh lynn and uh jeannie, with the lived experience, they got this you.
Speaker 2:You can't put that in the bottle and sell it yeah you have to go through it and the fact that, uh, we have took a pivot in our life to be able to come back and and and give that and share that lived experience on the advocacy level, uh, it's some remarkable. You know, and we're one of a kind in the city there's no probably nonprofit organization that can stand next to Pace and have what we have in terms of the people that we've employed and the work that we do.
Speaker 4:It's one of a kind yeah, I mean obviously we're sitting in your boardroom right here and I walked through your facility. It's a wonderful place. I mean, obviously mean obviously you got a lot of good things going a lot of the good things going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this uh, yeah, she took she, she uh, she did her thing, uh, her being uh our CEO, rihanna Edwards, she uh worked hard, uh. I watched her like, uh, literally, like, like you know, metaphorically, hair on fire, trying to get this thing done right, get this building, you know to get us in our own space. I mean, we were in a small space. They can probably speak more to that too, jeannie.
Speaker 3:I loved our home on Keystone. I did, and it was a small space because we're ever-growing right. When I came in, raymond's program wasn in. Um, raymond's program wasn't here, lynn's program wasn't here. Uh, it was during covid. Even though a lot of places were closed to the public, pay stayed open hand-to-hand services you know um I say this yes, reena did what she did, not for us as staff, but for our clients. This is the clients building. This isn't our building, okay um, we wouldn't be where we are without them.
Speaker 2:It's a good point and um.
Speaker 3:So when I look from at the growth that has happened with PACE as an organization and with our clients, um, it's amazing. We came from Brightwood area, martindale, brightwood to Meridian but it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for our people you know, our community, the people that we serve.
Speaker 3:They need this building, you know, and I'm glad that it is a little nicer though, but they deserve this. They deserve walking into a space that is welcoming, because they've been in places that aren't so welcoming and having doors shut on them. So I think, when individuals come home or come off the street or just walk and they're like, man, this is your space this isn't our space.
Speaker 2:This is your space and welcome steve, you're you familiar with the brightwood area? I know of it, know of it. Okay, yeah, so like we, like you can, like we had walk-ins like regular over on keystone, like people just come in and get a sandwich. That's what we do, you know. People like, hey, we'll get an email from the back saying can somebody bring some sandwiches up front?
Speaker 4:We got you know a couple people.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's raw yeah it's raw, yeah, it's raw, and so we left a void over there. You know, in that area, you know, when we moved down here kind of downtown, you know, like, you know, we was a beacon of light over there, but we took our show on the road. We kind of own the meridian, you know we own the meridian now, you know. So we not too far this way or that way. We right in the middle. So, yeah, so people can get to us. Right, we're on a bus line and it's a little bit more accessible and it's, it's our space, right so it actually serves your client, it serves our clients.
Speaker 2:Well, you know what I mean, and we were sharing that space with other agencies, so you know so. So some stuff get you know and and it was called health net, you know. So they actually had people that we use and we utilize their service. So it was, it was a good mixture over there, though I can.
Speaker 4:I can relate and you've been here since when um january. Okay, january coming up on six months here, yeah, so you're still getting adjusted, do you find yourself driving to the wrong place still in the morning? I?
Speaker 3:find myself um missing this space you know um, because that's where it was home. You know, that was the first place I landed when I came home from my away time. It was the first place I landed and it was so welcoming. But I think over here, just having that same energy and same open door and same welcome home um, kindness and policy, if you will, Um, um, has made this feel better.
Speaker 3:You know I'm not a fan of change. I know it needs to happen and I know in the forefront of my mind is we are growing and we are getting bigger and the more that we have space to hold these programs and to allow people coming in in groups and stuff is best for the person we're serving. You know our family members, so why not?
Speaker 4:Yeah, lynn, you mentioned you're head of the kitchen, or?
Speaker 1:food services.
Speaker 4:So obviously there must be some eating going on around here.
Speaker 1:Well, this is a brand new position that Ms Edwards established. So basically, I am the manager over the kitchen. What does that mean? That means that we deal with second helpings. They are our provider. The different meals that they bring over, we're very honored to have. I try to ration them out the best way that I can, and sometimes we're able to go and order other items of food also, and that is for the clients.
Speaker 1:All this is client based. Everything that we receive is for our clients. We want to make sure that nobody goes hungry. And then, during just just like this is AYC week, like right now, we have maybe 10 or 11 participants each day. So you know that's a lot of people to feed, especially when you're feeding breakfast, because you know, I believe, that everybody deserves, you know, a nice. Everybody deserves, you know, a nice meal. You know, even if it's a hot meal or even if it's something you always want to have, something that's going to be nutrition based, because I mean here again, if you're sitting in a classroom, you want to be able to feel good. You don't want your stomach growling, like jeannie was saying over there my stomach's growling.
Speaker 3:I need a sandwich.
Speaker 4:You need to get some of that food to her.
Speaker 1:She's welcome to anything that's in there, but my main thing is just making sure that the clients are able to get what they need and, like I said, even though I'm the food service manager and I'm doing this, we also have a food intern position that we're looking for. It could be a senior, or it could either be someone that's interested in applying for this position and they would do what I'm currently doing. Okay, so, and then I would train them to do that and get their food handler certification.
Speaker 4:And then you would spend more time with what your other part of your job.
Speaker 1:There you go, Absolutely. You know you do what you have to do exactly, exactly so.
Speaker 4:Are those meals being served right here to clients that are on site maybe taking a class, that kind of thing?
Speaker 3:well, yeah, because, like um steve, you know we were talking about connection. What better way to connect with my peers and my my group of people but sitting down and breaking bread, right?
Speaker 3:um, so they're here all day and um, they're here from like 8, 30 until 3, you know, and it's a group setting, so getting connection with other people. Um, a lot of times our people come in and they might not have a support group or whatever, and finding that support in these groups and breaking bread, getting to know each other, and a lot of our people aren't able to leave once they're here because of their correction status, meaning like they're on home detention. And once you're here, you're here. You can't go somewhere and pick up a McDonald's sandwich across the way.
Speaker 4:So this is almost like their job site. It is yeah, now they don't actually spend the night here though.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no. We're not a shelter Right.
Speaker 4:Right, but you're all day, all day. Doors are open. How many people might be here at a time?
Speaker 3:I guess it depends on what programming we have going on. You know, the yes Kids come in and they're not really kids, they are individuals that are what 17 to 24?.
Speaker 2:Out of us?
Speaker 3:Yeah, they have programming going on. I mean, one time we had a lot of different programming going on. We had 50 people in the building, not including staff, at one time. There are busy days, you know, Orientation is buzzing around here you know.
Speaker 4:So you hold an orientation every so often. Every two weeks, every other Monday, every other Monday, and that's one of those things that you're actually in the prison saying here's when you need to come, or or not yes, that's basically what I do when I go into the jails and I'm doing the orientation.
Speaker 3:I don't the off-site orientation. Off-site, excuse me. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1:Oh, there's two orientations, oh, I got you, um, which I'm connected with. The second chance is what Jeannie is saying and then the off-site is basically like what Jeannie does for the orientation here when people sign up. So it's like two different orientations.
Speaker 4:Yes, got you. So, Ray, I'm curious and I've already forgotten the name, but I remember the image the cone, the trauma coming in and you're trying to change what's coming out. Yes, tell me a little bit more about what's involved with that so it's like decision making, right.
Speaker 2:so, um, just making good decisions. You want to be able to walk inside of a grocery store like I. I met an individual that said I just can't keep my hands off this stuff when I go in the store, right, and that's. You know, that's because of what went inside the cone, right?
Speaker 4:Even though they know it's wrong, they don't want to do it.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and it's just like it's just what comes out.
Speaker 2:It's what comes out the cone, right? So a bad decision came out the cone from what went on top of it, right out the bottom of it, right? So what we try to do is like work and meet the person where they're at in that time, right, like okay. So like these are bad decisions. How did you come to do that? You know it could be something like what just Lynn and Jeannie just alluded to food insecurity, right? So when they grew up, you grew up with food insecurity growing up.
Speaker 4:So there's this compulsion to take, to act yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, I mean, that's a and we want to touch on that. We want to talk about like let's have a conversation about that, Because you could be right in what you're doing, right, like, if me and you was only the last two people on the earth and there was an apple there, by right, half of that apple is yours. You see what I'm saying. So we need to kind of like get our guys to understand that some of the decisions you're making, some of it is on you, but some of it is also out of your control, and what you need to do is figure out how you can work with what's in your control and part of it. We know the system is unfair, so we want to put that out there. We know the system is unfair, but you still have to deal with an unfair system because that's the hand you're dealt. So we kind of use a concept of like playing cards, spades, and that's a popular game in prison, I don't know if you know that.
Speaker 2:So everybody plays spades in prison, right? So what we try to do is give them concepts like this to translate over to real world experience. Concepts like this to translate over to real world experience. So in spades, um, we always talk about leading with your strong suit, because that's the, that's the kind of the goal, right, you lead with your strong suit, and when you're playing cards, you're gonna have to lead with your strong suit when you walk outside the door. So if you was able to, you know, um, position yourself to get to a point where they actually release you and you didn't, you. So you know how to stay out of the way, you know. And so we kind of build on those things, right?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so how much time are you actually in the prisons doing that?
Speaker 2:So we, there are five days a week. So yeah, yeah, I get that all the time Like after doing personally the time that I've spent inside prison, like how are you going back in there? Five, days a week. That's freaking. I can't crack that up.
Speaker 3:Because you're leading with your strong suit.
Speaker 2:I'm leading with my strong suit. So, and, like I said, this is not work for me. So we're in there for like some days. We're in there from um, I like, we have to, like, I have to get up, I have to clock in on the road right because I have to travel. So, like, like, like the prison, don't come to indianapolis.
Speaker 4:You know, prisons are in rural towns okay plainfield, pendleton, you know so so you have to get in the car and drive away.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, so yeah, and that's mileage and everything. So, if you're listening, we got a what we got Cash App or something on the website Uh-uh Raymond. What we got on our website. What is it? How do you donate to Pace? I forgot.
Speaker 3:By going on the website.
Speaker 2:Yeah, by going on the website.
Speaker 3:We got Credit cards. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Okay, just go to our website.
Speaker 4:They can find that.
Speaker 2:They can find that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, just go on our website, because that's the kind of stuff it pays for. That's the kind of stuff you need to get there, absolutely Right.
Speaker 2:So you thinking like my personal vehicle, like that's the vehicle that I use to go to the prison? Okay, like we don't have a pace, even the name Pace, we don't have a pace car, a pacer Okay, we don't have a pacer around here.
Speaker 4:You need a pace car yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we don't have that. So, yeah, please donate generously. Maybe we could talk in the 500 to donating the pace car to you, Steve.
Speaker 1:that's the plug.
Speaker 2:Let 500 to donating the the pace car to you, steve, that's the plug.
Speaker 1:Let's do it. I hope the right person's listening. I do, and you could get there quicker too, for real, and it's gonna help a lot of people for real, for real, yeah so yeah, I'm, I'm there from.
Speaker 2:Uh, I have to get up in the morning at, and I get up. I'm an early rise anyway. We people are you a night owl or are you an early bird? Which one? So I'm an early bird, so I'm up early. So I'm on the road by 6 o'clock, 6.30.
Speaker 2:I get to the prison about 7.30-ish, right, it's about an hour drive from my house, and so we go inside. So we're there from 7.50 all the way up to 10 o'clock on some days. And then we go to another prison in Plainfield. We'll leave, we'll leave Pendleton and jump on 69 and come around and try to get to 70 West and head out to Plainfield, and we're out there from 12 to three. So that's a four day. So we don't do two prison. It's only one day out a week that that happens. We get jammed up like that, right, and I say jammed up because it's a double up. You know you're doing one and going to the other, the other. The other times we just half and half. We just we're there in the morning and then we're in the office in the afternoon, or we're there in the afternoon and in the office in the morning.
Speaker 4:I'm an individual in prison. How do I come in contact with you? How much time might I spend with you?
Speaker 2:How does that work? Okay, so what we try to do is we're there 10 weeks. We have a 10-week program. It's actually eight weeks of book work and um journaling so it's a set program, it's not just one-on-one.
Speaker 2:It's not just one-on-one so, but what we do is for individuals who have a release date that are that is outside of our benchmark, right? So like we have some people who are not getting out to 2026, so, but you have some people that are getting out next month. So we, we we kind of cater to everybody by coming in once a week just to see the people that we've dealt with, that have did the 10 weeks and they're still there and their outdates are out here in 20s, because a lot of the things that we work on could be quickly reversed in an environment like that if we don't come back and check in?
Speaker 2:yes, so we come back and check in just to hey how you doing man, what's going on, how was your week, how was your weekend? Yeah, that, that, that seems. That connection seems to be working a little bit good, because they complete and they still have time to do. They're still looking forward to us coming.
Speaker 4:That's wild If that makes sense. So somehow you get the word out that you're going to be there and then I assume it's just voluntary that they show up.
Speaker 2:Right. So what they do they have in prisons? They have tablets now. So this is okay. They have like a. It's not a the level of an iPad, but it's something similar to that and so they can advertise that. I think they have that in the jail too.
Speaker 1:They do Right.
Speaker 2:So they can advertise that the program is starting. So you can sign up. Just put a request, slip in to your caseworker and then they sign up.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 2:And that's how they go, and it's all voluntary, it's nothing. Court ordered. Nothing forced. And there's no time cut connected to it.
Speaker 2:So that's another thing in terms of us, you know advocating as well Like we would like to see our guys get a time cut for going through our 10-week program as well you know, because, like of course, I would not want you to be in our program and you have an opportunity to get out early, so they'll go to a trade or a different function, because those things offer time cuts and breaking the chains. I'll see see you later, because it's an incentive to get out of there early. That's the goal to get out of prison.
Speaker 2:So, we don't want to stop that at all. So we definitely don't want to stop that. But if we can offer that, we can also compete with some of the other time cut programs in there. If we can offer that, we probably get a more, a bigger, a larger pool of individuals.
Speaker 4:This has been a great conversation. As we start to wrap up here, how can our listeners help Pace what? Are things that come to mind.
Speaker 3:I mean obviously Raymond did the plug for Cash cash um, and I think, by volunteering, um showing up, uh, for some of these events that we having, um directing family members, you know, hey, I know this place that can help support you, you know, because we all know somebody that has some sort To steer people to pace. Yeah, donations. We're always looking for basic need donations Socks, hygiene, diversity in those things, gift cards, gift cards, gas cards, things like that to help support our individuals. It's not about us, it's about help supporting them.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 3:You know transportation is a huge barrier for individual Basic needs is a huge barrier for people. You know it wasn't all that long ago that I was that person that needed socks, you know, that were brand new, not something that had been handed down and didn't have holes in it. Were brand new, not something that had been handed down and didn't have holes in it, like Lynn. You know, we also have a food pantry for our individuals who are family members, who are hungry. Things like that can help an individual, you know that's coming home, coming out of incarceration, coming off the streets, coming up on hard times, things like that. So I am never going to say no to anything that comes through the door, you know.
Speaker 1:For our family members. I think another point too, and I know Raymond and Jeannie both kind of touched on this you know we're living in a day and age, you know, where people need jobs, people need support, and I know that I was blessed by the grace of God that when I was released from incarceration I had family that I was able to stay with. And, like I said, you know I give that to God, because it was only by God's grace, you know, and mercy. I was very fortunate and so if anybody out there is listening, I just want to let you know that if you're looking for a safe place, if you're looking for a safe haven, a family type of environment, come to PACE, support us through donations. You can support us. We're always, you know, looking like what Raymond was touching on and Jeannie gas cards. Anything that you are willing to donate we would gladly accept because, like I said, we are a community that represents the public.
Speaker 1:We are the face of Pace, and what does that look like? We're just everyday people. We are the face of PACE, and what does that look like? We're just everyday people. We're just everyday people. So, if you're looking for a job or if you're suffering with addiction. If you're wanting to reach out, come to PACE. All you would have to do to get involved with our services is call the front desk. We're on the web paceindyorg. Wwwpaceindyorg is where you can reach us. If you want to reach out, if you want to schedule an appointment or if you want to sign up for one of our orientation classes, we will be glad to have you.
Speaker 3:You know something that Lynn you were saying about jobs? You know, and you had Steve you had asked. You know something that Lynn you were saying about jobs? You know, and you had Steve you had asked. You know what can people do to help Pace, give our people, our family members, that second chance? If you are an employer and you yourself have had that justice, involvement or that struggle you know, reaching out to our employment team and being like hey, we like what you all do.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:We'd like to partner with you. We would like to give your people a second chance.
Speaker 4:Absolutely. That's an opportunity. That's an opportunity To actually call PACE and say we're an employer. Can we work together? Yes, to bring in employees, absolutely yes.
Speaker 3:I mean, obviously there is a need for that you know what I? Mean um, and we do have those connections. However, we need more family members, more connections more support because the jobs are are good, but we are filling those jobs and we're running out and people are constantly coming home you know, what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:So if you um, there's opportunity there, you know I can. I'll just speak for myself. I am a person with justice involvement in substance use issues. I am a hard worker, I am loyal, I'm going to go above and beyond, and I'm not the only one. You know, there is a whole community of individuals that are just like us, that are going to go above and beyond. So why not make that connection with our employment team and be hey, ms Yvonne, we would like to work with you in getting these people a second chance.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, because everybody deserves. I think too, it's always a misconception in the community. When you have someone that does have a conviction, you know it's like having a scarlet sweater on. You know everybody wants to condemn you. You know all people need sometimes is a second chance, an opportunity, you know. And so that's what we're about, um, being here at pace you guys are examples of not.
Speaker 4:Not only should it not be a scarlet letter on you, it's like you guys do work with passion, right, it's like a good thing right, you've turned a bad thing into a good thing, which a lot of life is like that, but you guys definitely have demonstrated that and let me add this to that steve, that's a great point.
Speaker 2:Um, I I like to lead also with my conversations by saying you don't have to be guilty of a crime to go to prison. In America, and that sometimes goes over a lot of people's head, like there are a lot of people that are in prison for crimes that they didn't commit. They just pled guilty. Eighty-some percent of the crimes in criminal court get pled out through guilty. Very few people go to trial and actually defend their innocence, right, and I'm just a living example of that, and I speak to that because I took my case to trial. I didn't plead guilty to the offense, right, and I didn't commit the crime that I went to prison for.
Speaker 2:But I'm not out here complaining, though, about the process, about the unfairness, right, I'm doing something about it, I'm advocating and I'm informing people and I'm showing people this is what a second chance looks like. Yeah, give an individual second chances. I want to be that example. This is what a second chance looks like, and so, um, I just I would like to lift that up a little bit in this conversation, because sometimes we get that loss, you know, and then I also want to just uh, plug our. We. We're having our 5k run, our 5k walk here coming up in september. Right, I think we had a big showing last year. Um, at the amphitheater over on riverside park we did this big uh event. Uh, it's uh, I think it's the robert shackle for a 5k walk. I'm not quite sure of the uh details of that, but it's uh. Just that's coming soon.
Speaker 4:Look for that and that's a fundraiser, that's a fundraiser for us.
Speaker 2:so you know, people know people can come out and just support and just walk. You know pay and get the shirts and get all of the swag and just come out and just support Pace. It's a great day for family and friends and everything and you get to meet our whole organization and just see us in and out of the office.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, jeannie Ray and Lynn, thank you so much for your willingness to participate. Take a chance on this, be willing to. But more deeply than that, thank you for the work you do and who you are. That's come through loud and clear with what you've shared with our listeners today.
Speaker 3:Thank, you, thank you.