UU Prison Ministry Team

Mission and Goals

The UCE Prison Ministry Team works with the larger Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois (UUPMI) mission "to transform institutions and support people harmed by the prison industrial complex." Our group focuses on working directly with those currently incarcerated and awaiting trial, those imprisoned, and those recently released. We also advocate for policy changes to reform the Illinois criminal justice system, such as the recently passed HB3653, making Illinois the first state to end cash bail starting in 2023. We strive to provide a nurturing space for our beloved UCE congregants who engage in these life-changing conversations to learn more about institutional racism, grow in cultural humility, and live our Principles.

We have a long-term goal to develop a culture of accountability without punishment for our faith community and beyond, bringing us closer to the abolition of prisons and policing, which impose physical, mental, and community harm.

Programs of the UU Prison Ministry Team

Penpals – People in prison often identify isolation as the most debilitating part of a prison sentence and consistent correspondence can offer much more than emotional support. When an incarcerated person receives mail, it indicates to the guards and other people in custody that someone outside is paying attention and cares about that person. It has a tangible impact on reducing violence and harassment. Through correspondence, you are able to connect the person inside with the world outside and help link them to resources, education and community support not accessible in prison.

Training and continued support is provided by UUPMI. The recommended level of commitment is sending a letter bi-weekly for a minimum of one year.
Solidarity Circles – Patterned after indigenous Indian Council Circles and similar indigenous practices worldwide, Solidarity Circles provide a space for our congregants to engage in a community of commitment and support with someone returning from prison.  The concept of Solidarity Circles is borne of experience and research affirming that individuals returning from being locked up in prison or jail know best what they need and that they benefit from having several communities of support through the arduous process of putting their lives back together, often with very limited resources and within a system that all but ensures recidivism.

A Solidarity Circle is a community of support of 4-8 people, typically meeting once or twice per month. The returning individual knows best what they need, thus they are the leader of their Solidarity Circle. Walking in solidarity with individuals recently returning from prison is a powerful form of engagement and growth for all involved.

UUPMI offers training, orientation, continued education, and support to all circle members.

UUPMI has adopted a Memorandum of Understanding with Safer Foundation in which UUPMI will refer returning people to the Safer Foundation's training, employment and legal services, and Safer Foundation will offer the Solidarity Circles program to their clients as congregations have sufficient volunteers to support new Solidarity Circles.
Talking Circles – Before the pandemic, our UU Prison Ministry Team members served as circle keepers and circle members in Cook County Jail and Logan Correctional Center using a curriculum designed by UUPMI ministers with substantial support from individuals where were formerly incarcerated. These Talking Circles are on hiatus until correctional centers re-open to programs from the community.
Legislative Advocacy – We work with UU Prison Ministry of Illinois to advocate for policy changes in Illinois related to prisons. This includes setting strict limits on the use of solitary confinement, reforming bail/bond system, and allowing those recently released more access to job and housing opportunities.
Housing Advocacy through Connections for the Homeless – Our UU Prison Ministry Team is working with Connections for the Homeless to lead and provide space for a talking circle for clients of Connections. See other opportunities for volunteering with Connections in the News & Updates section below.

Resources

Connect with Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois (UUPMI) on Facebook.
Learn more about UUPMI from their website.

News & Updates UU Prison Ministry Team

Your Chance to Connect with Connections for the Homeless: October 23, 2020

We have new opportunities for volunteers who want to make a difference in our community in very concrete ways. Connections for the Homeless is a well-established, non-profit organization in Evanston, providing a wide range of services to homeless people. To address the complexities of services during the Covid19 pandemic, they have been creative and flexible and have increased their efforts to meet greater needs. They provide temporary housing, lunches, clothing and access to other essential services, including a path to permanent housing.

The UCE Prison Ministry and Food and Shelter Team are launching a renewed and invigorated partnership with Connections, along with a $40,000 donation from our Endowment Fund. Connections has effective infrastructure to provide services, which all depend on lots of volunteers. That’s where we come in – with volunteers! We’re starting with two areas – bag lunches and the Clothing Room at Hilda’s Place. We’re hopeful that in 2021 we can expand to other projects, as well.

There are roles for all adults, with varying levels of contact with other people. The 25 bag lunches (sandwich, fruit, snack and drink) are made and delivered to Hilda’s Place on Monday through Friday. Hilda’s Place is in the basement of Lake Street Church, 1458 Chicago Ave. in Evanston. The cost of the food is already covered.

The Clothing Room at Hilda’s Place is a way for people to get clean, warm clothing. It also helps provide a sense of value and dignity and a way to build relationships with people living on the street. Winter is almost here! Volunteers are needed to gather new socks and underwear or lightly used hoodies, jackets, sweatshirts. They can’t use dress clothes, like sport jackets.

These are tasks that can be done in small groups or individually. The lunches can be made at home or in the UCE kitchen. Please use the link below to sign up for a date to help with bag lunches. This is a great way to invest in our community in a practical, meaningful way.

Questions? Contact Sheila Holder at skholder8@gmail.com.

By UCE UCE|October 21st, 2020|Categories: food and shelter team, Prison Ministry|0 Comments

New Partnership Launched with UCE and Connections for the Homeless: Calling UCE Congregants to be Part of Changing the World One Person at a Time

We are pleased to announce that the UCE Endowment Fund and the Board of Trustees have approved a grant of $40,000 to fund a Housing Specialist position for Connections for the Homeless (CFTH). The Prison Ministry and the Food and Shelter Team cooperated in submitting the proposal to the Endowment Fund for this position. At CFTH, a housing specialist identifies landlords who will accept persons who are homeless, some returning from prison, some with substance abuse problems, and mental illness. The specialist also helps clients understand what is involved in renting an apartment. In a recent meeting with the staff at CFTH we learned that this is one of the largest gifts from a faith community.

We should be proud of this new partnership and the bold efforts we will make to change lives, one person at a time. There are three areas where volunteers are needed: Direct Service, Housing Advocacy and Prison Ministry. We want you to be a part of this partnership. Let's lift up UCE's financial commitment and match it with a commitment of time, skills, and love.

The Volunteer Opportunities Will Focus on Three Areas

Direct Service including options such as making lunches, helping at the clothing room, collecting appropriate clothing, or doing a toiletry drive.

Affordable Housing Advocacy including writing letters, talking with legislators, attending meetings with City of Evanston staff, and

Solidarity Circles including providing support to persons recently released from prison by helping them get their feet on the ground, listening and building relationships with those with criminal records, and providing various types of support.

More information will be available as we organize the congregation to help build this new partnership.

Opportunities for UCE to be an Ally with Connections

We can assist in these efforts while increasing awareness, advocacy, and volunteer efforts for UCE congregants and build on the existing relationship with CFTH. Social justice projects, using volunteers, provide an opportunity for church members to build relationships with persons returning from prison and people who are homeless, thus deepening our understanding of what it means to be in relationship with people who have been marginalized.

 How Do we Start this Partnership?

A UCE Coordinating Committee has been organized to work in three areas to promote volunteering opportunities. The group has met with staff at CFTH, and soon will be offering volunteer options for the congregation. Members of the Committee include Shirley Adams, Les Butler, Dale Griffin, Sheila Holder, Jeanne Kerl, Judy LeFevour, Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, and Dennis Wilson with support from Rev. Susan Frances.

Prison Ministry and Food and Shelter Team

The UCE Prison Ministry Team has a goal of encouraging supportive housing on the North Shore for people returning from prison or with a criminal record.  Finding housing is often more critical even before getting a job. Persons returning from prison often do not have credit or a work history, and with a criminal record, landlords are reluctant to rent to them. The Food and Shelter Team has worked on a variety of housing related issues in the past, most notably sponsoring a refugee family to furnish their apartment and providing support for their integration into American society.

Some of the Challenges for Finding Housing:

Those being released, or with criminal records, find it difficult to secure places to live as they often have questionable credit, a spotty work history, and no money. The lack of affordable housing leaves ex-offenders competing for the same limited low-cost housing options as those with no criminal history.
Being homeless increases the potential for recidivism. Studies have found that over 10% of people coming out of jails and prisons were homeless in the months preceding their incarceration. Access to safe and affordable housing helps prevent people with criminal records from reoffending.
Affordable housing on the Northshore is already scant, and without the help of housing advocates, exceedingly difficult to secure.
HUD ruled in 1996 that people with criminal records are banned from public housing. There have been attempts at reforms since 2014.
Persons returning from prison need to be housed near their families, in communities that will support them in their journey following incarceration.

Why We Chose Connections for the Homeless:

Connections for the Homeless is an organization based in Evanston with strong ties to our church community. Several congregants have volunteered with CFTH over the past ten years. We have also served clients through the Mitten Tree and Our Giving House. The mission of Connections is to combat homelessness, the most visible and solvable form of poverty. Homelessness is also a symptom of institutional racism, historical inequities, and failures in many systems on many levels. CFTH’s recent response to the COVID-19 pandemic is an example of their success in responding to a crisis and finding both financial resources and housing at this critical time. 

Connections for the Homeless serves 2,100 people a year. In addition to the direct services they provide, CFTH has been working vigorously with others in the community to identify root causes of homelessness through advocacy for more affordable housing and greater equity in housing practices. 

CFTH estimates that at least half of their clients have criminal records, making the search for housing difficult.  Approximately 50 % of CFTH clients are women, so their efforts support the housing of both men and women returning from prison. 

Why does our Faith Call us to do this work?

We are called to undertake this work by our respect for the inherent worth and dignity of each person, by our understanding that “hurt people hurt people”, and by our desire to promote healing of trauma caused by systemic injustice. We promote justice, equity, and compassion. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.  We want to engage in action, and not fall into the easy practice of just studying the problem.  By getting our members proximate to the lives of those directly affected, we hope to motivate our members with a sense of urgency for change.

Submitted by Dale Griffin and Carol Nielsen