Access to affordable housing is one of the most consequential barriers for people reentering society after incarceration. According to the State of Illinois, approximately 20,000 people leave Illinois state prisons each year, and nearly 40% — 8,000 people — return to prison within three years. Michael Boyd, a Mercy Housing Lakefront resident, understands this reality firsthand. “I knew I was going to have challenges. When a person comes from prison, a lot of times, housing is denied to them because of their background,” Michael explains. “Landlords think that you are going to be a problem, not knowing that people have changed.”

“We have a system where you pay your debt to society, and you have no forward path and no way to reintegrate,” Mercy Housing Lakefront President Mark Angelini explains. Mark’s passion for addressing recidivism began early in his career at the Charles Shaw Company.

He also developed relationships with some residents who had recently been released from prison while working on the Homan Square Community Development project. Impressed with the skills they acquired through illegal business markets, Mark felt strongly that they could succeed in mainstream businesses if given the opportunity.

Moving Forward with a Grateful Heart

Today, Mark and other community leaders are working to build effective models and collaborative partnerships to support reentry through the Illinois Reentry Council. Mark co-chairs the Financing for Reentry committee at the Illinois Reentry Council and leads efforts to implement an IHDA-funded pilot program that provides supportive housing for justice-involved individuals. 

The pilot program has demonstrated success in helping people released from prison to gain stability and move forward in a positive direction. In partnership with Safer Foundation, Mercy Housing Lakefront has helped returning citizens like Michael Boyd maintain stable housing.

After spending some time in a halfway house, Michael applied and moved into the South Loop Apartments, a supportive housing community in Chicago. Safer Foundation paid Michael’s rent for one year and provided him with gift cards to purchase food and clothing.

Michael was able to renew his lease independently and has been a resident for the past three years. In addition to ongoing support from Safer Foundation, Michael utilizes Mercy Housing Lakefront’s onsite case management services. “The counselors here, they help you do anything you need…They care about the people in this building and their jobs.”

Michael has also found a sense of community within South Loop Apartments. “It’s a beautiful place to live. We do a lot of programming here. I sign up for them all. We have this program called For Us By Us, a group created by residents as a spin-off to Mercy Housing’s Community Connect program. It’s for the seniors in the building.

“We have movie nights, bingo nights, and activities on Fridays. When it gets warm out, Mercy Housing’s Feel Better program begins, and residents and staff do walks, go to Navy Pier, and go to different parks to play softball. It’s a beautiful community.”