Returning to the community after incarceration poses new and unique challenges, especially for veterans. Getting identification and taking care of physical and mental health needs are a priority, and so is finding employment, securing housing, and accessing food and transportation. Understanding all of these systems can be challenging. Recognizing the specific needs of veterans returning to their communities after incarceration, King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) launched the King County Veterans Reentry Program (KCVRP) last year.
Empowering veterans to successfully rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society, KCVRP helps veterans navigate ongoing court and probation requirements while linking them to behavioral healthcare, primary health care, transitional and permanent housing, and other social services to support their successful reentry and ongoing stability in the community.
As of March, KCVRP, a program funded through the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy, has served over 140 reentering veterans since the program launch in January 2024. KCVRP worked to ensure that the veterans were referred to transitional housing upon release and were enrolled in the King County Veterans Program (KCVP) for longer-term wraparound supports. KCVRP’s veteran services referral network and outreach strategies were effective in enrolling veterans incarcerated in 5 different correctional facilities in King County, into KCVRP.
Though veterans make up about 6.5% of the U.S. population, 31% of veterans have been arrested at some point in their lives compared with 18% of nonveterans. Data also shows that veterans account for nearly 8% of individuals incarcerated in state prisons and more than 5% of those in federal prisons.
Research indicates an association between legal system involvement and suicide, according to a recent report from the Council on Criminal Justice’s Veterans Justice Commission, finding that these veterans were almost twice as likely to make a suicide attempt than veterans with no justice involvement.
Many veterans lack the necessary supports to successfully reenter their community of choice upon release from incarceration. By providing supports during and after incarceration, veterans may face fewer barriers to accessing housing, gaining employment, and building community connections.
KCVRP participants can tap into KCVP’s network of veterans’ service providers including Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy partners who provide veterans with legal services, assistance accessing veterans benefits, mental health counseling, and more.
KCVRP partners closely with the King County Veterans Program (KCVP), Department of Veterans Affairs, Evergreen Treatment Services REACH reentry program, Public Health-Seattle & King County Jail Health Services, King County Department of Public Defense, King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD), South Correctional Entity (SCORE Jail), and Department of Corrections to provide comprehensive reentry support and linkage to services for veterans regardless of discharge status.
Through partnerships with the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC), King County Correctional Facility, and the South King County Correctional Facility, KCVRP Reentry Coordinators have a physical presence in local jail facilities conducting veteran resource groups and specialized case management to prepare veterans for release from incarceration.
“The King County Veteran Reentry Program allows us to connect with veterans while they are incarcerated to begin developing a plan for re-entry into the community early,” shared Jericho Simmons, KCVRP Reentry Coordinator. “This early intervention allows us time to work through barriers to housing, health care, substance use, and legal issues for a successful transition into the community as they work toward stability.”
KCVRP Reentry Coordinators are onsite at both KCVP’s Tukwila and Northgate locations, are in County jail facilities, and are conducting outreach at shelters and community gathering places to ensure veterans who will be or recently have reentered community after incarceration have the supports they need to regain stability. The program focuses on specialized case management for veterans 30-60 days prior to release from incarceration and 30-60 days post-release. The close partnership with KCVP allows for veterans to continue receiving seamless tailored longer-term support through KCVP after exiting the KCVRP program.
“Seeing the personal growth of the veterans we work with has been incredibly rewarding. Many veterans have been able to finally break the cycles of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration and get on a positive path forward,” added Jim Conroy, KCVRP Reentry Coordinator. “The first thing many veterans want to do when they gain stability and independence is to help other veterans. In that way, individual successes have positively impacted the larger veteran community in really meaningful ways.”
To connect with the King County Veteran Reentry Program, please reach out to KCVRP@kingcounty.gov.