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Shelby County outlines new transitional housing, rapid enrollment to aid people leaving jail
Summary
The Shelby County Office of Reentry described a transitional housing site that has received keys and will house an initial cohort while staff push for rapid enrollment and culturally competent services to reduce recidivism.
DeAndre Brown, director of the Shelby County Office of Reentry, told county commissioners the office has secured keys to a new transitional housing site and expects to begin housing reentrants immediately. "We're almost open. We've gotten the keys," Brown said, adding the site will initially house three people released from the Shelby County Division of Correction and connect them to employment and programming.
Brown described a broader reentry strategy coordinated across about "60 to 70 organizations" in a Shelby County Reentry System that meets every other month to align services. He emphasized the need for "rapid enrollment," saying someone should be able to be talked to on Thursday and in a program by Friday, and that culturally competent options that meet people where they are are essential to sustaining change.
Brown also outlined how the transitional house will pair with a federal grant that provides housing vouchers; combined, the office expects to serve about 23 people at once (three in the transitional house plus ~20 voucher placements). He said the intent is to remove housing as an immediate impediment so participants can focus on employment and stabilization.
Commissioners pressed staff on employment pathways and partnerships with employers and temporary staffing agencies. Brown said the office will reach out to the chamber and temporary agencies to identify openings, and asked the public to notify his office when they know about available positions. "If anyone knows where those jobs lie, please let our office know so we can get some people rapidly enrolled and engaged and working," he said.
The office described program timeframes of roughly 90 days to six months for residents in the transitional space, with active enrollment and employment expected during the stay. Brown framed the plan as targeting a small but high-impact share of people who drive much violent crime; removing even two dozen people from that cohort, he said, can make a measurable difference.
Next steps: Brown said the office will follow up with commissioners and partners about employer engagement and finalize MOUs with hospital partners to expand violence-intervention and referral pathways.
