Start With Your Support System
Coming home is hard to do alone. Your first step is to find people and places that can walk with you.
You might feel lost, ashamed, or like you don’t belong anywhere. A good support system can help you find housing, food, a job, and hope. This can be family, friends, a church, a mentor, or a reentry program like Chicagoland Prison Outreach.
Support System Checklist
- Make a list of 3–5 people or places you can call today.
- Find a church home.
- Call or text at least one person and tell them: “I need support. Can we meet or talk this week?”
- If you don’t have safe family/friends, look for:
- A local church or pastor
- A reentry program or ministry
- A support group for returning citizens
- Ask one trusted person to be your “go‑to” contact for the next 30 days.
- Write down all phone numbers and addresses in one notebook or in your phone.
