By Dianne Anderson

Years in and out of juvie, small scale drug use, a lack of accountability or soft skills are all part of the perfect storm that lands Black men or women on the streets or in jail, but it’s not their whole story.

Looking at those caught up in the system, Michael Wahome is realistic.

No cookie-cutter approach works to help them navigate their world when they get out of jail, but an unexpected side that gives him hope.

“The first thing I learned almost 20 years ago was that we incarcerate some of our brightest men and women. When they come out, they’re still bright and intelligent. They don’t know they’re sharp or that they’re valuable to society,” said Wahome, Employment and Special Projects Manager at the nonprofit, Starting Over Inc. in Riverside.

In Riverside County, he said they have six homes they lease in nice areas housing 8-10 people in each location at any given time. Some stay a month, or a year. Clients are by word of mouth, through law enforcement, behavioral health, and probation.

The organization also received grant funding to provide housing, funded by marijuana tax revenue from legal sales. Some of that money is redistributed back to communities that were disproportionately impacted by police practices and unfair incarceration.

He said that many Black men and women exiting the system have undiagnosed mental health problems, bipolar disorder, or depression and use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate. Some were locked up for drugs, but never received a dual diagnosis that could effectively manage their mental health and addiction problems.

He spoke with one man diagnosed with manic depression and using meth, but he would stop his prescribed medication to start using drugs, which kept him landing back in prison. Someone at the state facility told him to never stop taking his prescribed meds, no matter what.

“He took that to heart, and continued his meds even if he was coming off the high, he wasn’t as wound up and anxious. Now he’s rejoined society and out of prison. He’s going to school,” he said.

Wahome said it’s a matter of cleaning people up one step at a time.

Weed is decriminalized, and the system is still processing out overly incarcerated Black and Brown people serving years for a couple of ounces. The ACLU reports Blacks were locked up for marijuana 3.73 times more than whites.

Wahome also feels the system is quick to label youth rebellious, but no one takes time to examine their mental development.

“Childhood trauma in juvie, who’s talking about it? Men don’t want to talk about what they went through, rather than address the emotional damage, folks use drugs or drink. It helps bury it.”

Before coming on with the nonprofit, Wahome thought jobs were the answer, but in talking with those coming out of incarceration, he said about 80% had jobs before their arrest. Starting Over Inc. provides housing and essential service.

“Clearly employment wasn’t the issue at the time. Now I know that while employment is important, housing is important and access to mental health and sobriety support,” he said.

He tells them he can get them a job making up to $20 an hour, but asks what they plan to do with their first $1-2,000 check.

“I’ve learned the hard way, I look them right in the eye. The ones who are truthful don’t answer the question, they know I already know,” he said. “The answer is [they’re] going to speak to a drug dealer. They need a fix.”

But the other group says they want to see if they can buy a car, or get their own place. The ones that say they are still struggling with sobriety, he hooks them up with AA or NA to conquer the temptation before they start working.

Until recently, the legal system ostracized those returning from incarceration, but the state changed policy, opening workforce opportunities. Employers are now encouraged to give people a chance.

“Justice-impacted folks tend to have a much higher unemployment rate. We’re at that point now where employers are starting to say we need people,” he said.

The next hurdle is sitting down, talking with those starting over, but making life-changing decisions without a place to live, eat and take a shower is hard. People in survival mode aren’t open to suggestions. They want an immediate place to live and eat.

“Once they’ve got that we find a way to support them, getting them an I.D., a birth certificate, and then we find them employment,” he said.

Then comes money in the pocket, a little security. At that point, they continue the conversation around developing soft skills, going to trade school, and learning how to provide more value to the market in the form of skills so they can command a higher wage.

It’s a series of dots that have to be connected before the next step of  goal setting, education and training.

He doesn’t give up.

“We’re never out of options as long as the person is living and breathing. We have to broaden the options,” he said.

For more information, see https://www.startingoverinc.org/ or call (951) 898-0862