PH+ and others Partner on Housing Ownership Workshop For Previously Incarcerated People

Finding safe, stable and affordable housing is a critical requirement for people trying to reintegrate into society after imprisonment, and it’s an ongoing challenge for the thousands of justice-impacted individuals living in New Orleans. But often these people are overlooked or even ignored when it comes to delivering assistance and financial education, and the idea of owning a home remains just a far away dream. 

People’s Housing Plus (PH+) thinks that homeownership can and should  be a very real possibility for justice-impacted individuals, and wants to provide meaningful support and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals.  

“It may seem hard, but it’s definitely doable,” says PH+’s Director of Stewardship and Community Engagement Erania Ellis.

Thanks to a grant through Enterprise Community Partners’ Housing to Justice Program, PH+, Center for Employment Opportunities, and Raise Your Bar were able to offer a five week intensive workshop,  “Building Foundations: Equipping Justice-Impacted Individuals for Homeownership Success.”  Deneka Desroches, PH+’s Director of Client Engagement and Education led a number of sessions and she wanted to ensure participants would know the basics to secure fiscal freedom and security. 

Deneka Desroches leads class

"Financial literacy is the cornerstone of economic empowerment,” says Desroches. “During the first cohort of the Building Foundations Housing 2 Justice workshop, we explored essential topics such as Budgeting Basics, Money Habitudes, and Credit Rebuilding Strategies. These subjects are vital for equipping our participants with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve financial stability and independence."

The workshop also wanted to show participants that career success and other achievements were within their grasps. A number of speakers, who were previously incarcerated and included New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas, Melika Honore of Honore Credit Consultants, and Terrance Simon, a business and property owner, talked about their own journeys and how they were able to overcome obstacles through education and tenacity. 

New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas speaks with workshop participants

Patrick Young, who is the founder and CEO of Raise Your Bar, which focuses on assisting people reintegrating into society after incarceration, says that the workshop supplied a multi-faceted approach that will enable individuals to find employment, fix their credit and other issues and drive towards home ownership.

 “This is about creating generational wealth, and building something you can pass on to your children,” Young says.

Ellis is pleased with the workshop results and PH+ and its partners will be offering a second workshop in October.  Ellis spoke with a number of the participants and realized that the sessions weren’t just about teaching people about financial literacy, but it was also about inspiring a shift in thinking.

“Some of our participants had just gotten released, some had been out for two years or so, others had been reintegrated for 10 or more years, and many were struggling,” Ellis reports. “ With these sessions and future sessions, we are hoping to develop a new mindset to what they’re facing.”