Will 2026 be the year the Reentry Assistance Bill passes? Support is growing for the two-year-old legislation to expand gate money into a $425 monthly stipend (totaling $2,550 over six months) for people who recently returned home from prison.
“Currently, a lot of people go straight from prison to our shelter system, and even when they don’t, they spend about six months, on average, looking for work,” said Simone Price, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) director of organizing. “That’s the average amount of time before someone can secure full-time employment. So what we’re trying to do is attack that for six months.”
To be clear, advocates do not see this bill as simply charity — they argue better cash assistance drives down recidivism by tackling employment, housing and reintegration. The money will not cover a month’s rent in New York City. But it can go towards a hotel, groceries or a ride to a job interview. Additionally, the funds can go towards family or friends supporting the returning citizens.
When legislators introduced the bill two years ago, gate money issued by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) would cap at just $40 and a bus ticket. The amount later grew to up to $200, but remains impacted by how much is in their commissary.
Last month, the bill’s main proponents — mainly criminal justice reform organizations and reentry providers like CEO, the Brennan Center, and Osborne Association — held a media roundtable discussion to renew conversation about the legislation sponsored by Rochester-based State Senator Jeremy Cooney and Manhattan-based Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs.
“Rehabilitation can’t only occur within prison walls,” said Cooney. “It’s an ongoing process that we should all be supporting. And that’s exactly where the Reentry Assistance Bill comes in.”
The bill was also notably co-sponsored by Mayor Zohran Mamdani while he served in the State Assembly. Price says there’s been no formal engagement since he came into office this year but there are plans to reconnect down the line. After all, many people come back home to New York City, the country’s most expensive city, after incarceration.
However, Councilmember Crystal Hudson serves as a key ally in the Five Boroughs. Last year, she successfully led a City Council resolution calling on the State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass the Reentry Assistance Bill.
“For my constituents in central Brooklyn and for communities across the cities, successful reentry means stronger families, safer streets and neighborhoods where people can thrive,” she said during the roundtable. “Resolution 371 reflects our commitment as a city to supporting this common sense solution and we urge the state to act.”
Author’s Note: A previous version shortened Center for Employment Opportunities to Center for Employment.
Four hundred twenty-five ($425) may not seem like a lot, but it’s a start. This will afford the returnee some assistance to be able to maneuver their lives around the system while seeking independence.
Every little bit helps. When a slave is set free having nothing but sheer determination to make the most of the opportunities freedom brings that person needs to be afforded those opportunities as a returning citizen to a community/society that provides those opportunities.
Having been recently released I hope some help whatever it could be is offered to people trying to turn their lives around.I am more fortunate and blessed then most.God bless any assistance that is considered.We all made mistakes…we suffered a loss of time with our loved ones.I am not saying 425 is the amount it should be…maybe less…but something could help anyone.God Bless.