Issues We Care About
Read below to learn what we we care about and the things we are fighting for.
Housing is a Human Right
At the Returning Citizens Union, we believe housing is a human right—not a reward for perfection. Stable, supportive, and dignified housing is essential for successful reentry and for breaking the cycles of incarceration and marginalization. Our housing initiative is about more than shelter—it’s about justice, community, and the right to belong.
In partnership with Returning Citizens Support Group—a separate nonprofit founded by our same leadership—this vision is coming to life through a new housing development currently underway in Newark, NJ. The project will feature forty-two units and a host of amenities, with a priority placed on returning citizens—ensuring safe, affordable housing for those coming home.
Changing the Narrative
Too often, formerly incarcerated people are defined by their past instead of their potential. Through community partnerships and healing-centered spaces—like the Returning Citizens Support Group—we’re creating space for returning citizens to be heard, seen, and respected. Changing the narrative means challenging stigma, uplifting real stories, and making space for dignity, truth, and transformation.
Treatment of Prisoners
We believe that every person—regardless of where they are—is entitled to basic human rights and humane treatment. The inhumane conditions and abuse faced by too many incarcerated individuals are not just moral failures—they are systemic violence. At the Returning Citizens Union, we advocate for accountability, transparency, and justice behind the walls, because how a society treats its prisoners says everything about its values.
Education, not incarceration
We believe every young person deserves access to opportunity, not a prison cell. Dismantling the school to prison pipeline means investing in education, mentorship, and community—not punishment. We're committed to advocating for policies and programs that keep students in classrooms and out of the criminal justice system.
Mental Health
Incarceration takes a deep psychological toll—and too often, people behind the wall are denied the care they need. For many returning citizens, the trauma doesn’t end at release. At the Returning Citizens Union, we believe mental health care is essential, not optional. We advocate for access to quality, trauma-informed support for people inside and those coming home—because healing is a vital part of justice.