CHICAGO — The Mayor's Office of Reentry, in partnership with the Chicago Department of Family and Supportive Services (DFSS), today released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to establish the City's first Community Reentry Support Center (CRSC) exclusively for women impacted by the criminal legal system. This groundbreaking initiative follows last month’s reentry summit, “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: A Unified Path to Hope and Reentry,” which brought together nearly 250 reentry professionals from across Chicago on April 30th to address the complex challenges faced by returning residents, with a special focus on the unique needs of women.

“True public safety means ensuring every Chicagoan has access to opportunity, healing, and support, especially those who have been systematically ignored and pushed aside,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Through the Office of Reentry, we are redefining what is possible when government approaches its work with humility and care. This new reentry support center reflects our commitment to building a Chicago where women returning home are welcomed and empowered. We are investing in their future because when they thrive, our communities thrive.”

Despite making up a smaller share of the incarcerated population, women—particularly Black and brown women—face some of the most complex and unmet challenges upon returning home. About 75% of women who have been or are incarcerated have experienced domestic violence, and over 60% of imprisoned women are mothers to children under 18.

The Women’s Reentry Center will be a trauma-responsive space dedicated to the healing and empowerment of women—where system-impacted women and those identifying as women can access comprehensive, gender-responsive, and culturally affirming care. This groundbreaking initiative centers the voices of women who have consistently been overlooked in traditional reentry efforts, designed with male populations in mind.  Services for the CRSC will include:

• Trauma-responsive navigation,
• Mental and behavioral health connection,
• Housing and employment navigation,
• Family Reunification, and
• Wellness and holistic care programming.

“Under Mayor Johnson’s leadership, we are creating reentry pathways rooted in healing, equity, and dignity that uplift human potential and restore hope,” said Director of the Mayor’s Office of Reentry, Joseph Mapp. “This center is a direct response to the courageous testimony of women who named the gaps, voiced their needs, and demanded better. We are listening, and we are acting.”

 The RFP is open to community-based organizations with a proven commitment to gender-responsive, reentry-focused care. Proposals are due by June 20, 2025, and the Center is expected to launch in January 2026.

 This follows the announcement in April of a new round of RFPs for five CRSCs in 2026, reinforcing the Johnson administration’s commitment to sustaining accessible, community-based reentry support for all returning residents while also building new capacity to serve women returning to the community from incarceration or who may be otherwise system-impacted. CRSCs have a dedicated phone line for service inquiries, connections to reentry navigation, and ongoing support for residents addressing parole or probation mandates on their reentry journey.

 "The establishment of a new woman-focused CRSC is progress that cannot be overstated," said DFSS Acting Commissioner Maura McCauley. "We know that women returning from incarceration are met with unique challenges and circumstances for which there is often insufficient support. Many return to full-time roles as parents and caregivers to others while simultaneously working to reestablish stability for themselves. The addition of the woman-focused CRSC will provide a safe and welcoming space with expanded services spanning a broad spectrum of women's needs."

 This initiative is a key component of the Johnson Administration’s People’s Plan for Community Safety, which emphasizes community healing, investment in non-carceral support systems, and the creation of pathways to opportunity for those most impacted by systemic harm.

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Mayor’s Office of Reentry

The Office of Reentry will convene, communicate and coordinate to create an equitable and holistic re-entry process that values the dignity and needs of returning residents, their families and the broader community. For more information, visit our website at www.chicago.gov/reentry.