Adult Reentry Grant Program

The Adult Reentry Grant (ARG) Program provides funding for community-based organizations to deliver reentry services for people formerly incarcerated in state prison. The Budget Act of 2021 (Assembly Bill 128, Chapter 21, Statutes of 2021) appropriated $67,000,000 to award competitive grants for community-based organizations (CBOs) to support individuals formerly incarcerated in state prison. The $67,000,000 is to be allocated as follows: ·       $31,825,000 shall be available for rental assistance.  Priority shall be given to individuals released to state parole. ·       $31,825,000 shall be available to support the warm handoff and reentry of offenders transitioning from state prison to communities.  Priority shall be given to individuals released to state parole. Successful proposals will be under contract from October 1, 2022 to April 30, 2026. Eligibility is limited to CBOs located in the State of California that have been determined by the IRS to have 501(c)(3) status (i.e., nonprofit). The target population identified in AB 128 are people, 18 and over, who have been formerly incarcerated in state prison with priority being given to those recently released and/or on state parole. Welfare and Institutions Code sections 8255-8257.2 (Appendix C) requires a state agency that funds, implements, or administers a state program that provides housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, to adopt guidelines and regulations to include Housing First policies.  As such, this will require applicants proposing projects that include housing or housing-related services to incorporate the core components of Housing First in their proposed program design. The statutory language authorizing the Adult Reentry Grant Program does not specify the types of Rental Assistance and Warm Handoff and Reentry Services to be funded. Applicants should select programs that best fit the needs of the community. The ESC has defined Rental Assistance activities to be those intended to help eligible people establish or maintain affordable, permanent housing. The ESC has defined Warm Handoff and Reentry Service activities as those that place a priority on services that lead to permanent housing and the provision of critical-time intervention that meets the immediate needs of individuals upon their release from prison or placement by parole. Examples of eligible rental related services include, but are not limited to: short-term emergency housing assistance, landlord incentives, permanent supportive housing, rent subsidies, transitional housing, stipends to friends and families who provide housing directly to a person who is eligible for ARG services, vouchers, move in costs, credit repair, coverage of back rent, or other activities as necessary. Examples of eligible warm handoff and reentry services include, but are not limited to: reach-in services, case management services, housing navigation, transportation, food, emergency services, employment/vocational, social services, behavioral health care, mentors, transitional services, system navigation, 24-hour response, or short-term or emergency housing support (up to 90 days)