On March 18, 2021, representatives from Stony Brook University and AT&T joined Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. and County and Babylon Town officials to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Sheriff’s Transition and Reentry Team (START) Resource Center and announce the first community-based START Resource Center satellite location in Wyandanch, NY at the new headquarters for the non-profit Spin the Yard, Inc.

The START Resource Center offers a range of practical transitional services for people leaving the county jail, including employment assistance, connections to housing, treatment and mental healthcare, clothing, food, pandemic advice, and much more.

The START Resource Center offers a range of practical transitional services for people leaving the county jail, including employment assistance, connections to housing, treatment and mental healthcare, clothing, food, pandemic advice, and much more. 

In September, Sheriff Toulon successfully began expanding the START Resource Center into the community when he launched the Family Reunification Initiative in partnership with the Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare with the support of AT&T. 

“We are thrilled about this new partnership with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office,” said Jacqueline B. Mondros, Dean and Assistant Vice President for Social Determinants of Health, School of Social Welfare. “The Family Reunification Program as part of the START Resource Center will help inmates and their families deal with the multiple problems they face in the reentry to society, removing obstacles that have led to the revolving door of the prison system. Our students will be prepared with cutting edge skills to address some of the underlying issues the children of inmates face when they have an incarcerated parent. The opportunities afforded by this partnership align with the School’s mission to cultivate graduates who are grounded in social justice, human dignity and respect.”

The partnership between the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare began in July 2020 when Warren Graham, Assistant Dean for the School of Social Welfare, met with members of the Sheriff’s Office to discuss a program that would engage School of Social Welfare student interns to work with county inmates who have families residing in Suffolk County. The idea was to help improve the transition and better reunify families upon release, as well as address some of the underlying issues faced by the children of county inmates when they have an incarcerated parent.

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/homespotlight/ssw-student-interns-are-helping-others-build-better-futures/