The Erie County Re-entry Services and Support Alliance has been under Erie County oversight since May, after previously being managed by the YMCA of Greater Erie. The program helps those who were incarcerated to re-enter society, providing access to resources like education, transportation, housing, employment, and more.

“It’s important because if you take somebody that is coming back into Erie and just drop them off on the side of the street when they have no services or support, they’re likely to recidivate and end up back in incarceration,” said Bob Hess, the ECRSSA Program Manager.

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At Wednesday’s city council meeting, program leaders presented information and statistics on the program and how they are working to reshape and improve it, and city leaders said they’re looking to learn more about the work that’s being done and the impact that it’s having.

“I believe that the impact of the program is that when someone comes home, that they need help. In all areas of it, they usually find themselves on the low rung of the ladder, whether it’s health care, mental health, employment,” said Andre Horton, a city council member.

“Our goal with this whole thing is for people to not go back to prison, to abstain from crimes, and have successful integration back into Erie,” said Hess.

Leaders said the goal of the presentation was to share this information with potential community partners who could help support the program.

“I just believe that we should build bridges instead of knocking them down, and I think no matter what the situation, good, bad, or indifferent, that it can always get better with communication,” said Horton.

City leaders said the conversation is expected to continue as they learn more about the program and consider what role the city could play moving forward.

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