Reentry Welcome Center Supporting Returning Citizens to the City of New Haven

The City of New Haven’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) is seeking proposals from qualified, community-rooted organizations to operate a Reentry Welcome Center, which is a critical part of OVP’s strategy to prevent and reduce gun violence. Each year, nearly 900 individuals return home from incarceration to New Haven, and providing meaningful reentry support is essential to stabilizing these residents and disrupting cycles of trauma, retaliation, and recidivism that often drive gun violence in our communities. The Reentry Welcome Center will serve as a safe and supportive hub offering intensive case management, employment and vocational services, basic needs assistance (including care packages and transportation), direct cash assistance, housing navigation, and connections to mental health, substance use, and medication management services. A strong emphasis will be placed on engaging individuals at the highest risk of involvement in gun violence, either as victims or perpetrators, through trauma-informed, relationship-based interventions. In addition to post-release services, vendors are encouraged to provide pre-release in-reach services inside correctional facilities to support early engagement and seamless transitions. Applicants should demonstrate experience working with justice-involved populations impacted by community violence and a commitment to public safety grounded in healing, equity, and opportunity. This is a one-year contract with the option for renewal based on performance and funding.