Return House Opens in Barre

Barre, VT, January 8, 2007 – The Vermont Foodbank announced its partnership with Return House, a new service agency that opened it doors in Barre recently.  Return House is the Washington County Youth Service Bureau's newly developed program for 16-22 year old men who are returning to the community after being incarcerated.  The program helps participants develop the relationships, practical life skills, and behaviors to become lawful, productive, and valued members of their community.

Return House works in partnership with a number of community organizations, including the Foodbank.  As a Foodbank Network Partner, Return House joins 270 other organizations working to create healthy, hunger-free communities.  According to Return House Assistant Coordinator, Bayard DesCamp, “The facility has only been up and running for three months, but we expect to gradually increase the amount of food we order from the Foodbank. Getting our food from the Foodbank will definitely help with the budget, particularly once we get a good grasp on what the residents like to eat.”

The 6 to 12 month program begins before participants are released from jail, provides 24-hour support to accompany them through their re-entry, and also includes aftercare services following completion of the program. Return House helps participants find and maintain housing and has a 10-bed residential facility. Program services include training and mentoring in job skills and job-readiness, independent living, non-violent communication and conflict resolution.  There is also a focus on positive leisure time activities and coordination with area service providers for services such as healthcare, transportation, education, parenting assistance, substance abuse treatment, and more.

Deborah Flateman, Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Foodbank said, “We are excited about our partnership with Return House. The program is addressing the needs of an underserved population and we are eager to assist them in their mission.  It is partnerships like these that make us an even better community citizen as we help end hunger in Vermont.”

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CONTACT:
Judy Stermer
Vermont Foodbank
802-477-4108
jstermer@secondharvest.org