The often undersold story of inmates is their life after incarceration. The trials of finding job opportunities, steady housing or mundane consistencies that will keep you on track as you begin your journey into re-entering society. For former inmates, the opportunities for success are few and far between, and while the odds of reentry into the prison system remain low, currently measuring reoffenders of the prison system at 21.0%, their plight to achieve societal normality is an uphill battle.
However, within Ypsilanti, the journey to re-entry is far less of a burden, but more of an opportunity, thanks to Supportive Hands in Neighborhood Enhancement (SHINE), a community program that employs former inmates for beautification projects around the city of Ypsilanti, such as litter removal in areas like Depot Town or Frog Island Park.
Created by Leroy Harris in March 2024, as a subgroup and first work program of Life After Incarceration: Transition and Reentry (LAITR), Harris initiated the program after struggling to find stability following 35 years of service in the prison system. According to Harris, his journey to reentry was met with confusion after serving a natural life in prison, noting that he wanted to use his energy and time to live a positive and impactful life.
“In prison, I began working with this group called Chance for Life, they taught prisoners conflict resolution, mediation and critical thinking skills. I became one of the top trainers and mediators. That was my turning point where I realized how I could use my energy and time. Harris said, “I came up with an idea of helping people when I returned home.”
According to Harris, his first introduction to LAITR came through therapy sessions with Elyse Boyle, the Occupational Therapist and Vice Chair at LAITR, whom he said helped teach him how to adjust to his new life. He worked with the organization to learn life skills, including money and time management and participated in cooking classes.
“Elyse and that therapy under LAITR is what really helped me turn the curve, because they were one of the first people who gave me a chance,” Harris said. “The ladies at Later helped me become human again, as they showed me humanity. Those are things that they taught me when I first came home, not to mention how to work a computer. I’ve been locked up for 35 years. I did not know anything about that.”
According to Harris, this working relationship with LAITR would lead to the creation of SHINE, where they helped bring his dreams of helping others to fruition after he expressed his dream to help others following his release. Harris said that a single conversation helped create the organization, which helps the Ypsilanti community today.
Harris said the creation of SHINE was a brief conversation with the primary goal of providing each of their workers with skills, pride and a first step towards stability. SHINE operates through five zones across Ypsilanti, ranging from Ecorse Road on Michigan Ave to Ypsilanti’s downtown district.
“The people we employ are folks who wouldn’t ordinarily get employment from anywhere else. For many of them, this job is the first real chance anyone’s given them,” Harris said. “Every day, people approach me for jobs. This isn’t just work. It’s a way to get some stability, to feel like they’re part of the community again instead of just surviving.”
Currently, SHINE typically employs a staff of six to eight workers at any given time. Harris said their program lasts 90 days, providing their workers with proper paychecks, and necessary experience to find work elsewhere following their time under his company.
“Changing the way that everyone thinks about themselves and the community is success to me, because we deal with some of the roughest people in the community,” Harris said. “Sometimes it is success in seeing them change the way they see the community itself.”
In addition to running SHINE, Harris also operates classes every Wednesday at 2 p.m. at 124 Pearl Street titled “How to Stay Away From Crisis.” He describes the classes as a basic eight-week course to discuss goals and the necessary steps to help others achieve their dream.
“LAITR wants to stay focused on those coming out of prison, I focus on the homeless and anybody who wants and needs a job.” Harris says, “I messed up as a kid, but SHINE is just a reminder of the fact that we can clean up what we’ve messed up.”
For more information on SHINE, contact the nonprofit through their email at [email protected] or online at lifeafterincarceration.com/our-vision.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
