City of Chicago Launches First-Ever Center for Formerly Incarcerated Women

The City of Chicago recently launched its first-ever women’s Community Re-entry Support Center (CRSC) in partnership with the Women’s Justice Institute, in addition to awarding five community organizations serving residents returning from incarceration. Among the delegates was Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) organization UCAN, which will work under the direction of the Mayor’s Office of Reentry and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS).

The partnership with the Women’s Justice Institute will seek to provide specific and holistic support to women reentering life after incarceration, providing resources including child-friendly spaces, family reunification services, behavioral health, case management, and more.

In a statement, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Reentry Joseph Mapp shared, “Through close partnership with DFSS, the addition of a women-focused CRSC strengthens Chicago’s broader continuum of care and reflects a deliberate commitment to building a city that is responsive to the lived realities of all Chicagoans.

“Incarceration fractures families and communities in different ways, and women’s incarceration often carries distinct ripple effects given the caregiving, relational, and economic roles women disproportionately hold. This center recognizes those realities and affirms that an inclusive city must design reentry and recovery systems that meet women where they are, with pathways grounded in dignity, healing, and long-term stability.”

Learn more about the centers here.