Jim Kenyon: Out of jail, they have to go somewhere
Modified: 7/24/2021 9:53:55 PM
Part of Kym Anderson’s job is to find affordable apartments for people in need, which even under ordinary circumstances can be virtually impossible in the housing-deficient Upper Valley.
But when your clients are felons who have done time?
Anderson, the reentry program coordinator at the Orange County Restorative Justice Center in Chelsea, can only hope that landlords and the public in general are willing to keep an open mind.
“People are going to be coming out of jail whether we support them or not,” she said, referring to U.S. Justice Department statistics that indicate 95% of inmates are released from prison at some point. “For people to put their best selves forward, they need security.”