In honor of Second Chance Month, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the launch of Chicago’s Re-Entry Resource Website. The website will serve as an information hub for all city-provided re-entry resources.
The mayor’s office said the site includes the Interagency Re-Entry Council 2023 Departmental Re-Entry Goals to strengthen whole-of-government support for residents returning from incarceration. The website will include information about workforce training opportunities, the Community Re-Entry Support Centers, partner organizations that work with the formerly incarcerated, civil rights information, conviction registries, and more.
“When I took office, I pledged to take action and ensure that the City of Chicago is doing everything it can to give people returning home from incarceration a fair chance to successfully rebuild their lives,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “I’m proud of the work the Interagency Re-Entry Council has done to set goals that advance our whole-of-government approach to promoting positive life outcomes for Chicago’s returning residents and their families.”
The Interagency Re-Entry Council, which helped develop the new website, is made up of commissioners and leaders from city departments and sister agencies. Launched in July of last year, the council was tasked with implementing a whole-of-government approach to re-entry. Over the last six months, Director of Re-Entry Willette Benford worked with each department and agency to set goals to remove barriers to better support returning residents via departmental operations, policies, and investments.
“When returning residents come home, they are faced with an overwhelming number of decisions, challenges, and systems to navigate,” Benford said. “While there is a myriad of support services available, knowing where to go or who to call can be overwhelming. I hope that this Re-Entry Resources site can provide returning residents and their families with an easily accessible answer for where to turn.”
