Revitalizing Reentry with Personal Transportation

Income inequality

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Transportation is a critical barrier facing formerly incarcerated individuals reentering society. Public transportation options are often unsafe, unreliable, and inaccessible, especially for people in high-crime areas, putting them at risk of harm. Without reliable transportation, returning citizens struggle to secure employment, attend job interviews, and meet parole requirements, increasing the likelihood of recidivism. The financial burden of purchasing a car further exacerbates the issue, especially considering that many returning citizens do not have much capital to draw upon. Addressing this gap is crucial for reducing income inequality, improving public safety, and enabling equal access to employment and community engagement.

Reentry Wheels will directly address transportation barriers by providing a range of mobility options for formerly incarcerated individuals. Access to reliable transportation is crucial for securing stable employment, meeting parole requirements, and rebuilding social ties, all of which are essential for successful reentry. Our program will ensure participants can meet the demands of daily life, reducing the likelihood of recidivism. Additionally, providing diverse transportation options allows individuals at different stages of reentry to have access to safe, reliable mobility. By alleviating the financial burden of purchasing transportation during reintegration to society, we enhance participants’ ability to focus on long-term stability, community involvement, and self-sufficiency. This project addresses income inequality by providing equitable access to employment opportunities, while also improving community safety by ensuring returning citizens are less likely to revert to criminal behavior due to mobility constraints.

Through providing services, Reentry Wheels aims to impact Los Angles county through the returning citizens community. As mentioned previously in this application, Reentry Wheels looks to lift the financial burden of purchasing a reliable vehicle for returning citizens that improves their likelihood to maintain employment, meet parole or probation requirements, rebuild vital social ties and engage in meaningful community service.
We aim to impact Los Angeles County by providing services that lead to less recidivism, which means less crime and less victimization. Further, with our members sustained employment, we contribute to the tax pool, and through our community service, we support other returning citizens to meet their parole conditions, attend job training, recovery groups, school and employment interviews.