A grand opening ceremony was recently held in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago for the new GEO Reentry Service Center, located at 8007 So. Cottage Grove Ave.
The center supports the work of the Illinois Department of Corrections and offers behavioral therapy, treatment and training, like job development, education support and other life skills classes that work toward helping participants successfully reenter their communities.
“Having the ability to offer services that contribute to the healing of the community is redemptive work particularly in under-served communities,” Emanuel Barr, outreach and operations manager for GEO Reentry, said of the program. “Reducing recidivism is the goal of our work which we hope will change the landscape of incarceration and offer safer and healthier communities,” he said.
The center will be one of several run by GEO Reentry in Illinois, joining existing centers in East St. Louis, Decatur, Rockford, Chicago Heights and West Fulton.
GEO Reentry has worked with the Illinois DOC since 1997.