The Elevation Project’s mission is to meet the needs of both at-risk and formerly incarcerated individuals by providing holistic services in a safe and supportive environment in order to empower fresh starts and open new pathways. Our work will improve lives, reduce recidivism and crime, and drive systemic change.
The Elevation Project would like to open a transitional home, which would serve as a location for individuals who have recently been released from incarceration who need a temporary location to live before finding a permanent residence. Individuals who participate in a transitional home voluntarily live in the location. We plan to provide voluntary group classes at the transitional home that focus on topics such as therapy, parenting,Thinking for a Change, money management, career assistance, and how to find and maintain a residence. The transitional house would require residents to pay below market rent, but will return 60% of their money back so that they can use it towards their security deposit of the permanent residence they have identified.
There is significant research that transitional homes can prevent recidivism and improve the lives of individuals who have previously been incarcerated. We would like a student's help with three lines of research:
1. Summarize the literature on the effectiveness of transitional homes
2. Use quantitative and qualitative data to document the need for a transitional home in Philadelphia. The information developed by the student will be used to pitch the proposal to donors.
3. Inform a plan for purchasing a property for the transitional home: How can an appropriate property be identified? What characteristics would be ideal? Are there other important steps in launching a transitional home and lessons learned from existing transitional homes that we should be aware of?
