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Weber County groups join forces to help those leaving jail, prison

By Tim Vandenack standard-Examiner - | Jul 9, 2021

OGDEN — A coalition of groups in Weber County is coming together to offer a boost to a population that can frequently fall through the cracks — those leaving jail or prison and reentering society.

Representatives from 12 groups will gather in Ogden for the first time next Tuesday, providing information and guidance to the “justice involved,” as Heidi Little puts it, to aid their reintegration into the community. The hope is to make the event, dubbed a Reentry Fair, a weekly thing, she said.

“We want them to get services right away to help them be successful, to keep them on the right path, to help them achieve their goals,” said Little, supervisor of the career and educational team at the Utah Department of Workforce Services office in Ogden, which is aiding in the initiative.

Next Tuesday’s event, sponsored by a group called the Weber County Community Reentry Coalition, goes from 1-4 p.m. and will be held at 2540 Washington Blvd. on the first floor. It’s to be held every Tuesday thereafter, except on state and federal holidays.

The Utah State Prison in Draper holds similar one-stop informational events, but as far as Little knows, Weber County is the only county engaging in such an effort. There’s a particularly pronounced population of former inmates in the Ogden area, she said, in part because of the Northern Utah Community Correctional Center here, a halfway house for prison parolees and probationers.

Among the agencies with representatives at the event will be the Utah Department of Corrections office that works with those on probation and parole, the Weber Housing Authority, the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Weber Human Services and more. The agencies can provide a range of help, assistance in getting housing, a job, mental health care and more.

“People will be able to walk in and meet directly with a provider,” Little said. As is, she said, those seeking help may get a reference for assistance “and we kind of hope they make it to the different services.”

Among the key challenges facing those leaving prison are finding work and dealing with mental health issues, including drug addiction, according to TReND Wyoming, an advocacy group in the state for those leaving prison.

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