New Beginnings Reentry Services Inc.
We believe that formerly incarcerated women deserve the opportunity to heal from trauma and reach their greatness in a safe and nurturing environment.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
New Beginning - Fresh Start Project
Funded by a local Foundation, our New Beginning- Fresh Start Project addresses the short-term needs of women coming out of incarceration. The project provides the following:● Case Management/Counseling ● Photo ID/Birth certificate ● Job/Career Training ● X-Cel (GED program assistance)● Educational expenses ● T Passes, Bus Pass, and Taxi Vouchers ● Clothing, footwear, and toiletries These basic but essential resources have helped formally incarcerated women establish growth and success as independent residents of the community. They arrive with little, lacking confidence and suffering from past trauma.
Where we work
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
NBRS is an established 501c3 nonprofit organization
partnering with the Boston Mayor’s office at The Office for Returning
Citizens. NBRS has been given a bricks-and-mortar facility at 22 Dry Dock
Avenue in Boston, which has adequate space and layout for all services NBRS plans
to offer. Currently, NBRS is a basic, grassroots facility providing limited
services at this time, but NBRS aims to become a fully residential facility in
the near future, which is our organization’s ultimate goal.
NBRS currently provides the following services:
Primary
care and specialist appointments and referralsMental
health counselingFamily
reunification through the Department of Children and Families (DCF)Housing
advocacyCareer
services, such as job-readiness trainingVocational
services, such as assisting with GED completionRelapse
prevention for substance abuseArranging
community-based support servicesOther
mental health services including improvisation, creative writing,
storytelling, journaling.
Expressing one's own inner voice can guide formerly
incarcerated females to work comprehensively on their emotional instabilities.
By learning to express their feelings appropriately, formerly
incarcerated women improve their social skills and relationships while
strengthening the many roles they plan in their personal and professional
lives.
Our immediate goals include achieving accreditation with
Mass Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurances, creating profiles for
funder viewing, fundraising by the board of directors, developing the space
given to us by the City of Boston Mayor's Office and the Office for Returning
Citizens. We are also conducting the sentinel ceremony for women who have
been recently released from incarceration and successfully participated in the
NBRS program, made possible by a small grant given two NBRS.
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What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
NBRS has implemented several strategies to reach
organizational goals. As aforementioned, NBRS' president and cofounder, Stacey
Borden, is a formerly incarcerated woman and a certified addiction and trauma
counselor. Therefore, Ms. Borden is leveraging her incarceration experiences to
create an organization that meets the needs of reentering and formerly
incarcerated women.
Strategies to reach financial goals include the NBRS
"Go Fund Me" page, a profile with The Giving Common and GuideStar,
establishing corporate sponsorship, and building community partnerships. To
assist in achieving financial support, NBRS is currently redesigning the
organization's website, creating a quarterly newsletter, and participating in
community events to raise awareness about the NBRS program, mass incarceration,
and challenges women face upon reentry. Reentering women can struggle in
finding housing and employment, two challenges that might be partially overcome
by educating the community. Landlords and employers may be more apt to work
with formerly incarcerated women once better informed about reentering women.
The newsletter, updated website, and participation in community events will be
important in helping NBRS meet its goals
Internally, to motivate and engage formerly incarcerated
women and reentering women in their recovery and reentry, NBRS is launching a
participatory graduation ceremony for women who complete the NBRS program. NBRS
has also recently implemented a healthy initiative exercise group for NBRS
staff and clients. This exercise group promotes healthy living and further
expands the social network available to reentering women.
Finally, in December 2018, NBRS established a board of
directors with a varied background. Combined, the members of the board have
experience in fundraising, social work, and nonprofit leadership. One board
member is a previously incarcerated male who is establishing his own reentry
program called Out for Good. NBRS is confident that the varied and aggregate
assets of Ms. Borden, the of the board of directors, and foundation of
community and corporate involvement will help NBRS realize its organizational
goals.
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What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
NBRS advocates for women through various organizations such
as Families for Justice as Healing and of the National Council. NBRS also
visits the women in two prisons in Massachusetts: South Bay House of
Corrections and Framingham State Prison
NBRS has applied for accreditation from Mass Health and Blue
Cross Blue Shield so NBRS can assist recently released women in obtaining
health insurance, including coverage for trauma and addiction counseling upon
release. Health insurance options are severely lacking for reentering women.
Thus, in the absence of a reentry facility to help these women obtain coverage,
reentering women will not have access to trauma and addiction counseling or to
other healthcare services they so desperately need. Therefore, achieving
accreditation by insurance companies is critical to NBRS’ success.
In an effort to increase community awareness and education,
NBRS regularly lectures at area colleges, including Boston University, Tufts
University, and Berklee College of Music. Visits to these institutes of higher
education include panel discussions on criminal justice reform, mass
incarceration, women and reentry, and women with trauma and addiction.
Partially because of NRBS’ lectures, Berklee College of Music has implemented a
Music of Mass Incarceration Event where students use their creative talents to
represent injustices of mass incarceration. In addition, Berklee has
implemented a freshman seminar called LENS: Mass Incarceration Program. NBRS
also participates in events at other area colleges including Boston University
and Tufts University. Accessing the educated, impressionable, and
justice-focused younger generation is critical in changing how our society
thinks about mass incarceration and reentry is critical if to affect social
justice change in the future.
NBRS has two interns helping to achieve our organizational
goals. One intern is a senior at Boston University majoring in sociology and
the second intern is a PhD student in sociology at UMass Boston. The
interns have been tasked with working on web design, newsletter and brochure
creation, and collecting and summarizing existing data to assist in creating
the NBRS funding profiles.
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What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As a grassroots organization, NBRS is a young organization. In 2018, we were offered a brick and mortar facility by the Boston Mayor's Office and The Office for Returning Citizens. Establishing a physical location where our team can meet, plan, and have a tangible location where we can visually plan for future use of the space was a major accomplishment. NBRS formed a board of directors in 2018 which, combined with our physical facility, created a physical and organizational structure for the organization. Two student interns have also joined our team, who help with media outreach, data collection, and outcome measures. Financially, NBRS received grants from the Anne E. Borghesani Community Foundation and Fidelity Trust in 2018. In 2018, eight women completed the NBRS program. As a young organization, we feel these are significant accomplishments for NBRS. In addition, our accomplishments to date have created a solid foundation from which NBRS can extend into the future. NBRS has established connections with other related organizations such as Families for Justice as Healing, On With Living and Learning (OWL), and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
New Beginnings Reentry Services Inc.
Board of directorsas of 06/07/2023
Lynette Tyler
Gretchen Moore
Cambridge College & Berklee College of Music
Bridie Chwalek
Master's Level Clinician
Stella Stewart
Community Volunteer
Carmen Cohen
Founder, Meta Arts Company
Mia Cameron
Brokerage Firm
Lynnette Tyler
Retired
Julie LaBagnara
PhD Student
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No