Community Resources
Information on local and state resources to help individuals, families and veterans in need of housing, food, medical, legal or mental health assistance.
Post Incarceration
- All Inclusive Support Services
Hampden County Sheriff's Office, 736 State St., Springfield MA 01109, (413) 781-2050 ext. 8300
Drop-in Hours for Intakes at the following times: 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday & 12:30-2 p.m. on Mondays
Assists formerly incarcerated people in all aspects of their lives as they transition from incarceration into the community including education, employment readiness and job search, housing, mentorship, coping skills and other supports.
- Faith Unlimited Institute
736 State Street, Springfield , MA 01109, (413) 306-5753
Faith based organization dedicated to assisting men and women returning home from incarceration through mentoring, family reunification, and leadership development.
- MA. Dept. of Corrections Reentry Planning
Assistance with housing, care for medical, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, health insurance
Employment (resumes, JobQuest profiles, One Stop Career Center info), benefits (info about obtaining food stamps, Social Security and Disability, veteran services), probation and parole coordination, victim and public safety notifications, obtaining identity documents and linkages to community resources.
- Turning Points
Group support services for moms who are soon to be released or who have been released from the regional Women's Correctional Facility in Chicopee. Family support groups for those who have temporary guardianship of the children whose parent is incarcerated are also available.
- Your Money, Your Goals: Focus on Reentry
Toolkit in ways that can help address the unique financial challenges facing individuals pre- and post–release from
incarceration.
Employment
- Careeronestop Job Search Help for Ex-OffendersFind local and state resources, employers that hire ex-offenders and learn how to talk about your conviction.
- CORI and Employment - MassLegalHelp.orgA guide for the those looking for employment who have a CORI/Criminal record.
- Criminal Record Holding You Back? Learn How to Overcome These ObstaclesIf your criminal record doesn’t qualify for expungement or sealing, don't despair. You can take several steps to make it more likely that you’ll be hired.
- Good Jobs for People With Criminal Records & How to Get ThemThis article covers 13 potential no-background-check jobs that pay well; facts about getting a job with a criminal record; why employers care about criminal records; reasons for hope and optimism; how to get a job with a criminal record :10 smart tactics.
- How to address your criminal history in a job interviewAdvice from Monster.com.
- National HIRE NetworkThe National Helping Individuals with arrest and conviction records Reenter through Employment (H.I.R.E.) Network is both a national clearinghouse for information and an advocate for policy change.
- Sealing my CORIInformation from Mass Legal Help on how to seal your criminal record. Sealing your criminal record does not get rid of it, but fewer people can see it. After the records are sealed, most employers, landlords and others will not be able to see the records when they do a CORI check. When you apply for a job after your records are sealed, you can say "I have no record."
- Seal Your Criminal RecordInformation from the Massachusetts Court System on your criminal record - how to obtain it, correct mistakes in it and seal it.