Break the Cycle: Proverbs 226

On August 11th, Changed Choices staff viewed a new documentary, Break the Cycle, from Proverbs 226. Proverbs 226 creates the positive momentum in a child’s life that opens doors, allows healing and drives change. The nonprofit began in 2012 with founder, Cyril Prabhu, working with men held at Kershaw Correctional in South Carolina, and has […]
What impacts recidivism?

Each year, 22,000 individuals are released from North Carolina Department of Public Safety facilities. What it shown to have the greatest impact on recidivism? Individualized re-entry plans. Successful re-entry begins with planning well in advance of a person’s release date. Changed Choices clients begin working on successful re-entry as soon as they become a client. […]
A day of celebration!

On Saturday, our clients, volunteers, and staff gathered to celebrate 19 women’s accomplishments over the last year. Each year, Changed Choices celebrates pre-release and re-entry clients reaching their goals at our annual graduation party. This year, goals included: A big thank you to Matthews United Methodist Church for providing amazing food and fellowship. We can’t […]
What is Kinship Care?

Kinship care for children of incarcerated parents is placement with a family member instead of foster care during a parent’s incarceration. More than 20% of children of incarcerated parents live with grandparents or other relatives. Nonparental caregivers face multiple challenges, such as enrolling children in school, and receiving state and federal services. On average, kinship […]
Incarcerated parents and the foster care system

Nearly 30,000 children, or approximately 6% of all children entering foster care, are placed due to parental incarceration. About 11% of women and 2% of men in prison report having children in foster care. May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and in North Carolina there are about 12,000 children are in the child welfare system. […]
WomenGiveCLT

Changed Choices had the opportunity to join over 350 women interested in investing in our community at WomenGiveCLT. A big thank you to ShareCharlotte, Junior League of Charlotte, and Women’s Impact Fund for hosting this amazing event. Based on research by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, organizations dedicated to women and girls receive a very small […]
Why community is important

Families and social support networks play a critical role in a returning citizen’s transition from incarceration to the community, and research on family-inclusive re-entry models has been promising. While families can provide for immediate needs such as housing, they can also create connections to employment and community services. What if a strong family support system […]