A public safety improvement program
The Community Partners Reinvestment Project (CPR) is a collaborative transition program that increases public safety by meeting the unique developmental and transitional needs of for young men ages 18 to 25, who are returning to the community after incarceration.
The CPR mission is to provide guidance and comprehensive support to the men, and their families, enrolled in the program and to facilitate a successful re-entry back into society. The program works to reduce the rate of relapse and recidivism, increase the job retention rate, improve the quality of life, and enhance the safety of our neighborhoods and our communities.
Our team is comprised of a dedicated and passionate group of people. The program approach is a collaborative team effort striving to encompass and assist with multiple facets of the clients’ lives. This includes client-motivated behavioral changes, reducing criminal thinking, returning to school, employment, housing, family relations and parenting issues, assistance with resources, and more.
Mentors play a vital role in the program. Our mentors have experienced first-hand many of the challenges facing our clients. Their ability to genuinely relate to the clients and provide insight and be a positive role model, are invaluable.
GIFT and HEAT:
VOA Oregon works with the City of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention’s innovative Gang Impacted Family Team (GIFT) program connecting with young men and their families to break the cycle of intergenerational gang violence.
CPR staff deliver the Habilitation, Empowerment, Accountability, Therapy (HEAT) curriculum, designed specifically for young African-American men. VOA Oregon partners with Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice to improve public safety and reduce or eliminate gang connections, by supporting young men and their families to.
GIFT and HEAT are culturally-specific interventions which connect young men to positive mentors in the community who model life after gang involvement. CPR mentors support and educate young men to address their criminal lifestyle, how the choices they make impact not just themselves, but their families and their communities.
In June 2017, we celebrated our first HEAT graduation. HEAT is a new curriculum in the Portland area that empowers young men trying to break the cycle of violence. HEAT explores and addresses four areas: Habilitation, Empowerment, Accountability, and Therapy. The HEAT team works closely with these recent graduates and Multnomah County, including parole officers, to empower these young men in their hopes for the future. We are very proud of them and their accomplishments.
Pictured left to right: Mentor Dondrae “Choo” Fair; Graduates David, Rasool, Jamarie, and Sage; Mentor De’Andre Frison
H.E.A.T. : Habilitation, Empowerment, Accountability Therapy
- Specifically tailored to serve African American men
- Addresses root causes of violence by encouraging:
- Pro-social attitudes (Individual)
- Healthy relationships (Relationship)
- Engagement with a broader non-criminal community (Community)
- Distinguished from traditional treatments:
- Highlights and values Black culture
- Emphasizing historical strengths of African Americans
- Treats the whole person
CPR Success Story
