Osborne's Recent Highlights

March

• Osborne’s Women With a Plan program hosted its second annual “Phenomenal Women” event (pictured above) earlier this month, bringing together 48 women and a community of supporters to celebrate their strength, resilience, and achievements during Women’s History Month. Panelists including activists Donna Hylton and John Bunn shared reflections on their experiences navigating the carceral system for themselves or loved ones, while encouraging participants to use their voices and reminding them that a strong, supportive community stands with them. Women with a Plan offers one-on-one case management and personalized support to help women impacted by incarceration navigate education and employment opportunities. Explore a photo essay from the event here. We thank our host, Trinity Church, for making this event possible.
   
• Osborne’s LGBTQIA+ Case Management program team presented at this year’s inaugural, two-day Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund (TWEF) “Affirming Care” Convening. Ali Kamerman, program coordinator, Grace Detrevarah, senior peer liaison, and Petal Fogenay-Foster, deputy director of workforce development, joined organizations from across the state in Albany to exchange expertise, strengthen networks, and develop strategies to advance policy and support for transgender and gender-expansive communities. The team presented on the impact of accompaniment for TGNCNB and LGBTQIA+ participants, highlighting the critical support it provides in navigating benefits, parole, probation, and other systems, and shared training resources with attendees. This one-of-a-kind program supports LGBTQIA+ people in reentry or whose circumstances put them at risk of justice involvement.
   
• Two longstanding Osborne programs will expand this year, thanks to additional funding from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. Our Court Advocacy Services team, which supports individuals facing criminal charges in New York City, Westchester County, and six upstate counties, will be enhanced with the addition of six trauma-informed care specialists. They will deliver direct, therapeutic, and trauma-informed services to high-need clients—both in the community and in detention.
  
  We will also expand our Elder Reentry Initiative, the first and still the only reentry program exclusively serving older adults in New York State prisons and New York City jails who are returning to New York City after incarceration. ERI guides people aged 50 and over through the reentry process, supporting them to find stability and safety after incarceration and welcoming them into a community of peers. With this new funding, ERI will provide more intensive services in New York City and expand statewide to serve older adults returning from prison to communities anywhere across New York State.  

February

• The first 15 residents of Marcus Garvey II, an expansion of our Brownsville, Brooklyn, supportive housing program, moved into their apartments starting January 29. Two new buildings with a total of 88 apartments will come online in the months ahead, providing residents with supportive services for reentry after long-term incarceration and a community of welcome.
   
• Our Visiting and Family Assistance Program recently hosted a Galentine’s Day breakfast at the Rose M. Singer Center, where 35 women came together to sing, dance, and celebrate the love of mothers. With activity stations set up by NYC DOC and food from community partner Nick’s Gourmet Deli, the women participated in a workshop focused on words of affirmation, led by Michelle Howard, Osborne Executive Vice President, and volunteer chaplains Rev. Adrian Dannhauser and Mary Russell. They shared messages like, “You are special to me because you are you” and “Don’t stop being you.” They also mailed their affirmations and photos to their loved ones at home.
   
• Earlier this month, Angeeluz Cortorreal, Program Coordinator for Court Advocacy Services in Westchester County, provided testimony to the New York State Budget Forum, making the case for expanded funding in Westchester, where limited mitigation infrastructure and rising demand are leaving many people without access to court advocacy services. In testimony submitted to the joint Assembly-Senate budget hearing on public protection, VP of Policy and Advocacy Tanya Krupat highlighted the successful outcomes of Osborne’s Court Advocacy Services, ReentryWorks, and visiting and parenting programs, urging greater investment in alternatives to incarceration, quality programming, and reentry housing that benefit all New Yorkers. Fulton Community Reentry Center’s Recreation Specialist Bruce Roudette, who resided at Fulton after five decades of incarceration, was the subject of a story from the Mozilla Foundation on new users of technology.
   

January

• Dior Lindsey-Virgil, Osborne’s Program Manager overseeing our Buffalo programs, was named recently to City & State New York’s Unsung Heroes list. Since helping to launch Osborne Buffalo in 2019, Dior has played a key role in building our Western New York presence to serve children and families impacted by incarceration. A licensed social worker, she manages our portfolio of supportive services, along with training and technical assistance to agencies on the impact of parental arrest as co-lead of Osborne’s Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents initiative. Read her profile here.
   
• Late last year, Osborne was selected to receive the Outstanding Contribution Award from the New York Corrections and Youth Services Association (NY CAYSA), recognizing our exceptional and sustained service to people incarcerated in NYS prisons. The award was given out at an event in Oswego hosted by this association of staff across New York state working in corrections, probation, children and family services, sheriff’s offices, and more.
   
• Osborne’s Fulton Community Reentry Center recently placed its 100th resident into permanent housing, marking a major milestone for the program. Since opening in May 2024, Fulton has supported formerly incarcerated people who identify as men with safe, stable transitional housing and reentry services as they work toward independent living. This achievement highlights the important role transitional housing plays in helping people secure permanent homes and successfully return to their communities. Read our 2025 reflection here.
   
• December was an active month for participants in Osborne’s NeON Works program, which we run in Harlem and the Bronx. The program serves young people seeking brighter futures through education, career development, and community engagement while they are on probation or at high risk of criminal justice system involvement. Staff organized a trip for participants to the Museum of the City of New York, a holiday party with a toy giveaway, and nearly 20 job readiness workshops over the course of the month.