Philip Cooper does some outreach, but what he really prefers to do is inreach.
Cooper, founder of the nonprofit Operation Gateway, says the best time to help men who are finding their way after incarceration is while they are still inside. His organization uses the prison communication system to contact people before they are released, to assess their situation and offer assistance.
“If you wait to serve them when they get out, you fail them,” says Cooper, whose title is chief change agent. “Because they’re scrambling, trying to figure it all out.”
Cooper, 40, a native of western North Carolina, has developed a small but intensive program that connects men who are leaving prison with a suite of services and groups that enable them to get back on their feet. Operation Gateway can help them secure a place to live, obtain a copy of their Social Security card and birth certificate, get food, or even do the deeper work of dealing with mental-health challenges, including addictions. And it connects them to job training and potential employers.
“It’s kind of like being a quarterback,” says Cooper, of the complexity of moves he makes to help people stay out of prison. “You can get a job, but if you don’t take care of your mental health, you won’t keep the job. You can get housing, but if you can’t get a job, you can’t pay for your house.”
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