JustDialogue Spring 2024

Dear Friends,

a reflective journal about social action from JustDane

I hope you were able to join us on April 11th for our 50th Anniversary celebration with Father Gregory Boyle, Elvis and Javier from Homeboy Industries. It was an evening of hope, love and celebration. Father Boyle, Javier and Elvis reminded us of the transformative power of radical hospitality, of forgiveness (of ourselves and others), and of an allencompassing love. It’s what we seek to live out every day at JustDanewhether through our direct services, our advocacy, or our work to serve as an incubator for new ideas and initiatives in our community.

In the mid-1990’s JustDane began to focus on the impact of the criminal legal system in our community and state. We created our Reentry Simulation to build community awareness of the challenges facing people as they return home from prison. Recognizing that no parent serves their prison sentence alone, in 1999 we agreed to be the incubator for Family Connections, which took children to visit their moms at Taycheedah prison. Eventually Family Connections added Reading Connections and both became permanent programs at JustDane. This was followed by the creation of our Circles of Support reentry program (2002) and our Mentoring Connections

community-based mentoring program for children impacted by parental incarceration (2004).

In 2005, we were selected by the United Way of Dane County to implement their signature initiative,

The Journey Home. Per the United Way’s model, the program focused on residency, employment, support and treatment.

United Way of Dane County leading the way nationally by investing in reentry initiatives. In 2013 Just Bakery was launched, and in 2017, our formal Reentry Peer Support initiative began, with funding from the City of Madison and Dane County Human Services.

In 2019 the United Way facilitated a Journey Home Delegation team to update the plan, incorporating education into the focus areas, including Parenting Inside Out classes offered to participants. It has been a transformational initiative, with the

In 2012, based on JustDane’s history of convening task forces to study community issues and make recommendations for solutions, the Dane County Board asked us to form a Task Force to study why a de facto encampment had sprung up on the old Don Miller car lot on E. Washington St., Madison. Originally part of the Occupy political movement, the encampment also attracted individuals who were unhoused and looking for community and safety in numbers. The encampment was led by individuals living there, a cooperative community that had created their own governance structure and rules that included no drinking or drug use. Challenges came when police began picking people up off of the street and dropping them at the encampment, often to “sleep it off.” The police told the people living there that, as the property was private property, the police could not enforce any of the rules the encampment residents had created.

JustDane agreed to create a task force to study the issue, but also shared that we would not simply suggest where the City could shuffle people around. The Task Force included people living at the Occupy site, homeless services providers, advocates, and area clergy who worked regularly with unhoused folks. We interviewed individuals living at the site, District police officers, neighbors, and people experiencing homelessness. From there we crafted our recommendations which were presented to the Dane County Board in July of 2012. Among the recognized needs was a permanent day shelter that operated 365 days per year, so that people had someplace to go during the hours the overnight shelter was closed. We were thrilled when the City, County and United Way worked collaboratively to fund The Beacon day shelter. Another recognized need was the exploration and support of alternative housing models that included tiny homes. We also described the need for a medical recuperative shelter for unhoused individuals and families who had a member in need of recuperative care post-hospitalization. When no existing shelter provider felt they could take that on, JustDane’s Board decided that we would work to address that need. As a result, Healing House has

been in constant operation since July 9th, 2019. As of today, it has provide medical recuperative shelter to 125 families with 350 individual family members; this despite being told by a three area hospitals that they didn’t s homeless families.

A few years ago, a friend and colleagu Dr. Karen Menendez Coller, the Executive Director of Centro Hispano shared that JustDane had been the incubator for Centro. She had found that information in their archives as they prepared to celebrate forty years of service in our community. It’s a bit of history our archives didn’t include. As I write this, Centro is preparing for the grand opening celebration of their new home. Our collaboration with Centro in the area of peer support has brought our organizations closer together and increased our understanding, at JustDane, of the challenges facing the Latinx community. It’s wonderful to know that JustDane had a small part in Centro Hispano’s history. It’s an honor to work side by side with Centro to increase: access to reentry supports, employment training opportunities, and to build a more welcoming, equitable community.

These are just a few examples of ripples of JustDane’s work in our community: Reentry support for tens of thousands of people over the past 24 years, Mentoring support for children impacted by parental incarceration, Incredible non-profits incubated and spun off to serve tens of thousands more individuals, Safe recuperative shelter for terminally ill children; parents and children post-surgery; infants, some with significant medical needs; parents and kids with broken bones and undergoing chemo.

The common thread among these ripples is a legacy of faith, believing that we can face and solve problems in our community, of all encompassing and transformative love, of radical hospitality, forgiveness, compassion, and of course, you, our supporters who have made the first 50 years possible

With gratitude,

JUST BAKE G SPECIALS

some really fun spring specials! d Cookies (2 for $5), Chive Cream Cheese Danish (2 for $6), 8), Lavender Pistachio Biscotti (6 for $8), and Gluten-sensitive ns (4 for $5).

Ch e specials, and to place your orde justdane.org/shop

Find Just Bakery at the Hilldale Farmer’s Market Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8am-1pm, June 22nd through September 18th!

Don’t miss Just Bakery at the Madison Night Market on May 9th from 5-9pm on State Street!

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF COMMUNITY

On April 11th, we celebrated JustDane’s 50th Anniversary at Madison College.

Thank to everyone who could attend, you made the evening an experience to remember!

Special Thank You to Father Gregory Boyle, Javier, and Elvis of Homeboy Industries for joining us.

THANK YOU

Michael Buerger Jazz Quartet for music and Hedi LaMarr and ArrowStar Photography for the beautiful photos

WHERE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO SUCCEED

For over 50 years, JustDane has been working to suppo t individuals as they reenter the community after incarceration. Our work, through Just Bakery, Journey Home, Circles of Support, and Peer Support correlates with the work of Homeboy Industries. Located in Los Angeles, they are the world’s largest re-entry program several social enterprises that train clients in living-wa earning jobs.

We were thrilled to have Father Greg, Elvis and Javier s their powerful stories of hope that resonate with the pe who walk through JustDane’s doors on a daily basis. T message inspires us to continue to work towards our vi of a community where everyone has a chance to succee

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

MONTH: STRESS

Stressissomethingwealldealwitheveryday Somestresscanactuallybegoodforus:liketheexertionwe useforourbodieswhileexercising,ortheexcitementofababyabouttobeborn Thiskindofstresshelpsus growandisnecessaryforustobehealthyindividuals

Whathappenswhenstressgetstobetoomuchoritiscausedbysomethingoutofyourcontrol?Duringthe heightoftheCOVID-19pandemic,thiskindofstressshotsky-highacrosstheglobe Therewasalotof uncertainty Peoplewereunsureiftheycouldleavetheirhomesandinteractwithothers Manyfeltlikethey didn’thavecontrolandtherewasnowaytoknowwhenitwouldend Incarcerationcausesatremendousamountofstresstoindividuals Everypartoftheirlivesiscontrolledby the institution. This includes their daily schedule. They must ask permission to hold a pen or use the restroom.Canyouimaginehowthatwearsonaperson’smentalhealth?Toaddtothestress,theyarealso livingwithdozens,ifnothundreds,ofotherpeopleintheexactsamesituation.Tensionsarehigh.Muchlike thoseathomeduringthepandemic,theyareisolatedfromfriendsandfamily.Thestressoffeelinglikeyou havenocontrolinyourlifeisoverwhelming

The results of this long-term, negative stress can cause bodies to stop functioning properly. Experiencing distresstellsabodytoconserveorexpendenergy,basedonwhatiscausingthestress.Ifyoudonotfinda waytorelieveyourstress,yourbodywilldevelopphysicaland/ormentalhealthsymptomstotrytogetyou toleavewhateveriscausingdistress,whichcandevelopintoseriousconditions,suchasdepression,anxiety, heartdisease,gastrointestinalproblems,insomnia,andpossiblyAlzheimer’s

Stress affects people the same way regardless of where they are in the community or in an institution. While people outside of institutions can find relief by talking with friends and family, seeking help from a mentalhealthprofessional,orphysicallyleavingataxingsituation,peoplewhoareincarceratedarenotable todothis.

Tocompoundthestressofincarceration,forthepastyear,twoWisconsin institutionsinWaupunandGreenBayhavebeenonlockdown,or“restricted movement”.Thismeansthatthemenhousedatthoseinstitutionshavespent morethan12monthswithoutregularaccesstoshowers,visitsfromloved ones,supportfortheirstruggles,orevenfreshairandsunshine.Duetothis andtheoverallconditionsoftheinstitutions,manypeoplearesuggesting thattheinstitutionsbeshutdownpermanently Atthistimethestatehasnotmadeadecisiononhowtoaddressthesituation

Weareconcernedaboutourneighborswhoareincarceratedandexperiencingintenselockdowns.Writeto GovernorTonyEverstodaytoexpressyourfeelingsabouttheongoinglockdownsatWaupunandGreenBay CorrectionalInstitutionsandEVERYONE’Srighttosafety,includingourneighborsinsidestateinstitutions.

https://wi.accessgov.com/public/Forms/Page/governor/voice-an-opinion/

Stress Reducing Tips

“It

- Brené Brown