Health

NDICA Awards Grants to Assist Returning Citizens to Transition to Community

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LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)

The National Diversity & Inclusion Cannabis Alliance (NDICA) announced today that financial grants are still available for the Returning Citizens Stimulus Grant Program. This pilot program provides single grants of $2,700 to individuals who have been released from prison or jail in the last 12 months to assist them in transitioning back to the community.

“In partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership (LAARP), we have provided nearly $2,000,000 in grant funding to date to support Returning Citizens who are most in need,” said Bonita Money, executive director and founder of NDICA. “This funding is critical to help support a smooth transition,” she said.

The grants provide non-restricted financial support to participants to use for living expenses and other needs. Returning Citizen Taewon Wilson explained, “The $200 they give you when you are released doesn’t go very far, so this type of program really eliminates a lot of stress.” Wilson was released recently after a couple of decades of incarceration and found out about the program through the Ella Baker Center in Oakland, CA.

More than 9,000 people have participated in the pilot program, currently offered in a few cities nationwide and in Los Angeles and Oakland within California. Each participant must meet eligibility requirements and program milestones to receive payments. The comprehensive stimulus program is funded by a private non-profit and may be renewed depending on outcomes.

“The grant is proportioned in three-month increments based on certain activities like setting up a bank account and getting a phone. It gives us a standard of responsibility to fulfill the requirements and this is also really important in helping to establish credit,” Wilson added.

NDICA has been participating in this program for several months, and with new additional funding, grants are still available. Priority is given to individuals who are released from prison or jail after serving longer sentences.

“I’ve been in and out of the system since I was a juvenile,” explained Carl Briggs, another program participant. “I have never seen anything like the Returning Citizens Program. It’s first in class and by far the best program in Los Angeles. NDICA is a beacon of light to the lower living. A lot of organizations say they help but NDICA really does,” he added.

To learn more about this program and how to apply, contact NDICA at info@thendica.org.

For further information, please contact:

Kristie Amobi, Head of Communications

Tel: +1-213-598-0236, e-mail: kristie@thendica.org

Time zone: PST: Pacific Standard Time

About NDICA

The National Diversity & Inclusion Cannabis Alliance (NDICA) is a non-profit working to promote social equity and social justice in the cannabis industry. With chapters in Los Angeles, CA, Fresno, CA, Chicago, IL, Oklahoma City, OK, and Columbus, OH, NDICA exists to help ensure that people who were negatively affected by the War on Drugs are represented in the legal cannabis industry throughout the country. NDICA works with social equity applicants and license holders in need of technical assistance, mentorship and resources to ensure a fair and equitable cannabis industry. Visit http://www.thendica.org to learn more.

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