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Rob Deleon outlines reentry priorities as interim CEO of the Fortune Society
Summary
Rob Deleon, the Fortune Society's newly appointed interim president and CEO, said continuity, stable housing and better reporting on program outcomes are his immediate priorities as the organization expands services for people returning from incarceration.
Rob Deleon, the newly appointed interim president and chief executive officer of the Fortune Society, told Bronxet TV’s Social Justice Forum that his top priorities are continuity, staff and participant stability, and clearer reporting on the social and economic impact of reentry services.
Deleon, who described himself as formerly system-impacted and said he has worked for two decades in advocacy and service provision, outlined the Fortune Society’s footprint and services, saying the nonprofit runs nine locations across New York City, including a 65,000-square-foot site in Long Island City offering addiction treatment, a clinic, mental-health services, employment-readiness programs and both transitional and permanent supportive housing.
“Increasingly, the need for stable housing is becoming a serious presenting issue as well as folks with mental illness,” Deleon said, adding that “as I speak on Rikers Island, there are a little less than 7,000 people and more than half of them are people with an M designation,” a description he used to indicate a history of mental illness.
Deleon said the organization will emphasize better outcome reporting that shows how people move from system costs to productive citizens. “We want to do more reporting around the impact that all of these services have on the individuals, on their families, on the communities, and on society at large,” he said.
The host raised the recent leadership change at the Department of Corrections, referencing former Fortune Society CEO Stanley Richards’s appointment as New York City corrections commissioner. Deleon called the move “historic,” saying Richards is the first formerly incarcerated person he has known to lead a major corrections system and that the appointment gives advocates hope for dignity-focused leadership.
Deleon invited viewers to learn more or get involved with the Fortune Society, citing both volunteer and donation opportunities and directing listeners to the organization’s website. (The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of the site; the organization's public website is fortunesociety.org.)
The interview closed with Deleon reiterating the Fortune Society’s dual mission of service delivery and advocacy to reduce stigma and improve reentry outcomes. The host thanked Deleon and moved on to the program’s next guest.
