Restored citizen: the realities of life for the formerly incarcerated | ABC 6 | November 15, 2022
ABC6 is On Your Side is showing the realities of life for the formerly incarcerated. Our team followed a woman released from prison, to show what it looks like when starting life over and experiencing freedom for the first time in years... READ MORE
Cafe Overlook officially open in Franklin County Courthouse
Cafe Overlook is officially open. The new restaurant is a collaboration between Franklin County and local nonprofit Service. County Commissioners reached out to Service’s leaders with an idea to reopen the 16th floor cafeteria in the Franklin County Courthouse. But it isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a workforce development program offering not just training on a wide variety of restaurant skills but also $15 an hour pay, health care and other assistance including subsidized child care... READ MORE
Café Overlook serves up change for the restaurant industry
Working in the restaurant industry is no walk in the park. Workers face long hours, often on holidays, with low pay and no benefits, conducting physically exhausting tasks in an environment known for its toxicity. But the nonprofit Service!, which got its start supporting vulnerable restaurant workers in the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown, is working to change that narrative through a new partnership with Franklin County... READ MORE
Art unlocks path to restoring mental health of returning citizens | The Real Deal Press | August 24, 2022
A new campaign highlighting women affected by the carceral system and their use of art as a facet of their transition back to society is bringing awareness to the stigmas associated with mental health. Love Your Neighbor Ohio is an ongoing initiative of Accompanying Returning Citizens with Hope (ARCH) meant to educate the public about the realities of incarceration in Ohio, and in particular the unique challenges women face after being incarcerated... READ MORE
Franklin County program looks to give offenders a second chance at life | ABC 6 | June 29th 2022
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Fighting for a second chance at life. A Franklin County program is giving offenders looking for a fresh start a real opportunity to get their lives back on track. ABC 6 is going behind the walls of the Franklin County Community Based Correctional Facility. The program is the last step for residents before a possible prison sentence... READ MORE
ReEntry Week: Columbus woman builds new business, life after incarceration | ABC 6 | April 25th 2022
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — After serving time, can there really be a clean slate? For many, the short answer is no. According to the Sentencing Project, 77 million Americans, or one in three adults, have a criminal record, with one in four having served time. More than 96% of them will be released back into the community... READ MORE
St. Cecilia parishioners join prison letters ministry | The Catholic Times | Feb 9, 2022
Columbus St. Cecilia Church has joined a ministry connecting parishioners with prisoners in a mentor-like relationship of encouragement and hope designed to ease the transition from prison to community when the inmates are released. The ministry, known as HOPE Letters, was begun in late 2019 by James Clay, who spent nine years in the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, and the Rev. Amelia Boomershine of Grace United Methodist Church in Dayton. The two had met at the prison during a Biblical storytelling contest Boomershine conducted and reconnected after Clay’s release... READ MORE