REENTRY

Reentry services and housing for women survivors
Five Keys Home Free serves survivors of intimate partner violence who are reentering the community after long-term incarceration in California prisons. Many were convicted of charges that resulted from defending themselves from their batterers. The program provides housing navigation and case management to women while they are in prison. When appropriate, women released from prison move to Home Free’s transitional housing apartments on Treasure Island in San Francisco. There, they are supported in accessing specialized programming that fosters the pride, self-worth, and aspirations of each woman survivor as she takes her first steps back into society.
Services include assistance with practical life skills, job training and retention, permanent housing transition, guided reconnection with family, and participation in peer groups that support the development of healthy relationships.
Location: San Francisco, with housing navigation in Northern and Southern California
Contact: HomeFree@FiveKeys.org
The Community Reentry Center (CRC) at DOORS
The Community Reentry Center provides an array of comprehensive supportive services to address the barriers to reentry for justice-involved individuals, particularly those on adult felony supervision, their families, and the community. Such services include but are not limited to housing, employment, legal aid, educational support, mental health assessment and linkage, substance use counseling, and health and healing through the arts. The two DOORS centers are located in Los Angeles and Antelope Valley and provide services in a welcoming environment by county partners and community-based organizations that are considered leaders in reentry and experienced professionals with high-risk communities. Five Keys works with participants one-on-one to identify their needs, overcome their barriers, increase positive behaviors, and plan for their futures. Our instructors provide classes addressing substance abuse, employment readiness, domestic violence batterer’s and survivor’s interventions, and parenting. We also offer our high school and GED preparation program at DOORS.
Location: Los Angeles County
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Supporting Stockton communities affected by the War on Drugs
Five Keys supports the communities of Stockton that are disproportionately affected by current and past federal and state drug policies, also known as the War on Drugs. Our team provides both community building and system navigation services with the goal of helping participants and their families build healthy, financially independent lives. We offer monthly life skills workshops on topics such as digital literacy, financial knowledge, and job search; wellness circles that provide a forum for peer support and empowerment; and guidance to help participants set their personal goals and access other programs in the areas of employment, housing, transportation, mental health, and family support. Participants include people on parole, probation, and others in the community in need of these services.
This program is funded through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Community Reinvestment Grants Program.
Location: Stockton, San Joaquin County
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Transformation in prisons and San Francisco Juvenile Hall
Since 1997, Insight Prison Project (IPP) has offered restorative justice programs serving people incarcerated at California state prisons and at correctional institutions in three other states. Its core program, the 52-week Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG), allows survivors of crime and people who are incarcerated to work together in the healing process, which enhances public safety and reduces recidivism. (IPP merged with the non-profit Five Keys Schools and Programs in 2020.)
VOEG bridges the gap between punishment and parole through transformation, allowing systems-impacted people to break the cycle of incarceration, and gives crime survivors a voice in this process. It supports healthy levels of compassion, impulsivity, empathy and aggression.
Location: IPP operates in San Francisco Juvenile Hall and at the following seven prisons: San Quentin (Marin), Valley State Prison (Chowchilla), CA Men's Colony (San Luis Obispo), Pelican Bay (Crescent City), RJ Donovan (San Diego), California Institution for Women (Corona), and California Institution for Men (Chino).
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
A reentry program in Alameda County with an employment focus
Keys to Change helps people with reintegrating into the community after incarceration, with a focus on employment skills. It is framed around the evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Interventions Employment curriculum for justice-involved individuals designed by the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute. Through intensive programming offered over 6 weeks, participants meet for 2.5 hours of group programming four days per week. The participants focus on cognitive, social, emotional, and coping skill development as it pertains to employment. A fifth day is offered weekly for individual sessions during which facilitators address specific learning needs, and provide parcipants with comprehensive case management to address barrier removal and reentry needs including substance use referrals; job readiness, placement, retention planning and support; family needs; housing; peer relationships, and education. This program is funded by the County of Alameda.
Location: Alameda County
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
TAY (Transitional Aged Youth) Resiliency in San Francisco Jails
Five Keys works with young adults (under age 24) incarcerated in San Francisco County’s jails to prepare them for their return to the community. Using positive, culturally-relevant activities, facilitation and case management, Five Keys promotes emotional learning and life skills. We work with young adults on planning for their futures, and help them make connections to supportive community services prior to their release in order to increase their resiliency and prepare for safe and self-determined futures. This program is funded through the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families.
Location: San Francisco County jails
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Supporting incarcerated youth with their educational goals
Five Keys’ career & college navigator works with youth to develop individualized plans based on their interests, goals, academic credits. They connect students to available resources in the community and within Juvenile Hall and coordinate with other service providers to ensure each client’s’ needs are being addressed. A credentialed teacher tutors students enrolled in college courses while in Juvenile Hall and assists students with developing schedules and study strategies. This program is funded through the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families.
Location: San Francisco Juvenile Hall
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Roadmap to Peace Collaborative for Latinx young adults
Five Keys partners with the Roadmap to Peace Collaborative in San Francisco which aims to reduce violence experienced by Latinx communities in the San Francisco Mission neighborhood. It is comprised of several community organizations: Instituto Familiar de La Raza, Bay Area Community Resources/CHALK, Five Keys Schools and Programs, Mission Neighborhood Centers, and Mission Neighborhood Health Center. Five Keys provides in-custody case management and reentry support to Latinx young adults incarcerated in San Francisco County jails and connects them with community resources upon their release.
Location: San Francisco County jails.
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Employment readiness and connections in San Francisco Jails
Five Keys established the Reentry job Center inside San Francisco County jails in 2017 to prepare people to obtain employment or pursue their educational goals upon their release from jail. Our career navigation staff work with participants to identify their career and education goals and map a pathway to achieve them. We assist them in obtaining documentation needed for employment, develop resumes, practice for job interviews and professional communication, and connect them with our employment partners in the community. We follow up with clients after they return to the community to assist them in obtaining and retaining jobs, and assist them in accessing other needed services, such as housing. We use evidence-based curriculum to prepare clients socially and emotionally to deal with challenges that arise in the workplace. This program is funded through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Location: San Francisco County jails and in the San Francisco community
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
An Alameda County reentry employment program
People incarcerated in Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail may participate in Five Keys’ life skills and Career Technical Education program to prepare for employment when they return to the community. Five Keys offers a range of life skills classes including job readiness preparation, digital literacy, anger management, parenting, and substance abuse. We also offer Career Technical training including cosmetology; computer coding; introduction to the trades; horticulture; environmental literacy to prepare people for jobs in “green” industries; food handlers’ certification for hospitality careers; and baking for commercial kitchens.
Location: Alameda County
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Job training and mentorship in a Malibu juvenile detention facility
Five Keys works with youth to develop life skills and introduce them to construction pre-apprenticeship skills at the Campus Kilpatrick juvenile rehabilitation center operated by the Los Angeles County Probation Department. We provide workforce readiness preparation, life skills development and youth mentorship through the 300-hours of industry-aligned Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) pre-apprenticeship coursework. Each student develops a Personalized Career Path Plan incorporating academic and career assessments and strategies to overcome barriers to their success.
Location: Malibu, Los Angeles County
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Collaboration among community-based reentry organizations in Central and Southern California
Community Action Partnership is an alliance of organizations coordinated by Five Keys across Long Beach, San Fernando Valley, downtown Los Angeles, Orange County, Glendale, and Stockton that have an interest in reentry efforts. Together, six CAP Alliances in these communities have more than 350 community-based organizations that target barriers derived from incarceration, including education, housing, drug treatment, record expungement, job development and more. They meet monthly to share resources and network on behalf of returning citizens as they adjust back into the community.
Location: Long Beach, San Fernando Valley, downtown Los Angeles, Orange County, Glendale, and Stockton
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org
Tech SF On-Ramps
Five Keys’ TechSF On-Ramps increases access to tech pathways for vulnerable populations. San Francisco is known for being a technology hub, but unfortunately there is little representation from communities of color and people who are formerly incarcerated. This program gives participants at Five Keys programs who are incarcerated in San Francisco, or at one of our community locations, the opportunity to increase their digital literacy skills, earn tech certifications, and enter college programs that focus on technology pathways. We provide computer classes, career and college navigation. Our partners at City College of San Francisco work with students before and after their release from jail to help them explore college tech pathways and enroll. This program operates with funding from the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Location: San Francisco
Contact: info@FiveKeys.org