The founders of Revive Center for Returning Citizens began organizing justice-involved populations in 2013 as a grassroots policy advocacy group called “I Did the Time”. After working hand in hand with peers, members of this group began to identify the common struggles among citizens who were returning to society from jails, institutions, and prisons. Citizens face many systemic barriers in housing, finding employment, struggling to make payments on court fines, gaining access to education, and family reunification. In activism work within their community, these members encountered formerly justice-involved individuals who shared the vision of creating pathways to successful re-entry, and who wish to use their stories to empower their population.

“Re-entry is a process, not a program.”

Although there are many organizations that address justice reform, the members of I Did the Time began feeling that our community may benefit from a peer-led non-profit that would provide services for citizens and their families. In 2015, the Revive Center for Returning Citizens was born.

Our organizations and its affiliates are committed to addressing and dismantling systemic racism and all other forms of oppression wherever possible. We are dedicated to educating ourselves, our client’s, community and our partners on understanding oppression and internalized oppression.

We are committed to using race-equity, anti-oppression lenses and anti-racist perspectives in all we do. We understand that much of our criminal legal, criminal justice and incarceration systems reinforce racial structures, normalize racial socialization, and perpetuate oppressive de-humanizing outcomes.

We believe in no more conversations or decisions about us without us and are dedicated to approaching all our work from restorative yet accountable perspectives.

We strive to achieve delivered systems and supports that accomplish and sustain equity, racial equity, true justice and healthy pro-social engagements through proactive and preventative measures, evidence-based data, evidence-based procedures, and consistent sustained actions.