Returning Friends Durham (RF Durham)
empowers neighbors to line the path home from incarceration
through material support and mutual friendship.
A Durham Worth Coming Home To
RF Durham began in 2003 as RCND's ministry of Reentry & Reconciliation among neighbors who have done harm and been harmed by our punitive criminal legal system. We've spent two decades building public-private partnerships to foster communal support at every stage of the reentry process, one life at a time.
RF Durham responds with compassion to the isolation and alienation experienced by neighbors we've incarcerated.
Through the courage of friendship across difference, neighbors build trust that repairs communal fractures created by incarceration.
By embodying community worth coming home to, RF Durham connects and expands the resources of NC's most collaborative reentry environment to dramatically decrease the likelihood of re-offense following long-term incarceration.
RF Durham responds with compassion to the isolation and alienation experienced by neighbors we've incarcerated.
Through the courage of friendship across difference, neighbors build trust that repairs communal fractures created by incarceration.
By embodying community worth coming home to, RF Durham connects and expands the resources of NC's most collaborative reentry environment to dramatically decrease the likelihood of re-offense following long-term incarceration.
How (and Why) RF Durham Works
Returning Friends Durham grew and thrives in a rich fabric of public-private partnership.
Durham County's Justice Service Department, our Local Reentry Council, the City's Welcome Home program, and many other non-profits provide reentry services in peer support, case management, employment, housing, recovery, and more. RF Durham works collaboratively among these agencies, directing communal resources to returning neighbors whose needs fall between and beyond what these other programs provide.
WE MAKE DURHAM'S REENTRY COMMUNITY STRONGER BY:
1) Prioritizing Relationship – Our ultimate goal is to create lasting friendships with the returning neighbors we come alongside. This frees us look wide and go deep in the support we connect folks to.
2) Unlocking Community Support – RF Durham centers on individuals whose length of incarceration makes reentry even harder. We support these neighbors with holistic community that bridges and builds upon other services.
3) Taking the Long View – Our community reentry teams connect with returning "partners" in the first several months after release. Then we walk together for 18 months or more, well after other reentry supports subside.
Durham County's Justice Service Department, our Local Reentry Council, the City's Welcome Home program, and many other non-profits provide reentry services in peer support, case management, employment, housing, recovery, and more. RF Durham works collaboratively among these agencies, directing communal resources to returning neighbors whose needs fall between and beyond what these other programs provide.
WE MAKE DURHAM'S REENTRY COMMUNITY STRONGER BY:
1) Prioritizing Relationship – Our ultimate goal is to create lasting friendships with the returning neighbors we come alongside. This frees us look wide and go deep in the support we connect folks to.
2) Unlocking Community Support – RF Durham centers on individuals whose length of incarceration makes reentry even harder. We support these neighbors with holistic community that bridges and builds upon other services.
3) Taking the Long View – Our community reentry teams connect with returning "partners" in the first several months after release. Then we walk together for 18 months or more, well after other reentry supports subside.
Help Us Line the Path Home
Over two decades, RF Durham "partners" (i.e. returning neighbors we support) have reoffended at a rate of approx. 15%,
compared with general reoffense rates of 50-60%.
We credit that success to a Durham that owns our responsibility for folks we've incarcerated,
and thousands of community members who've invested time, relationship, and material support.
RD Durham exists to engage individuals and congregations in this work.
To volunteer or learn more, contact our Returning Friends Coordinator, Drew Doll.
compared with general reoffense rates of 50-60%.
We credit that success to a Durham that owns our responsibility for folks we've incarcerated,
and thousands of community members who've invested time, relationship, and material support.
RD Durham exists to engage individuals and congregations in this work.
To volunteer or learn more, contact our Returning Friends Coordinator, Drew Doll.