Coming Home for Good: How St. Louis-based RELINK is Rebuilding the Lives of Justice-involved Young Adults through Health, Social Services, and Advocacy

Coming Home for Good Report

RELINK is an initiative by the St. Louis Integrated Health Network that combines one-on-one support with referrals to committed community partners in health, mental health, housing, employment, and collaboration.

The St. Louis Integrated Health Network partnered with the Evaluation Center to create a report detailing the success, challenges, and recommendations based on RELINK’s first two years of programming.

The assessment found that RELINK clients face numerous challenges including:

  • Histories of substance abuse
  • Not having a high school diploma or GED
  • Self-reported poor mental health
  • No regular health care
  • Not having insurance
  • Not having regular employment

In its first 3 years of existence, RELINK learned  the following about effective reentry programming:

  • Health is often overlooked in reentry programming,
    but supporting a client’s health is a critical
    aspect of keeping them out of jail and contact with
    the justice system.
  • When the criminal justice system, health, and social
    service partners work together, we can save costs
    and improve community safety. However, we still
    need to improve client trust and utilization.
  • A focus on preventative services, such as mental
    health, housing, and education for people ages
    18-26 will reduce system costs and improve the
    overall health of the community.
Developed in July 2019 for the St. Louis Integrated Health Network by Meihsi Chiang and Nancy Mueller.

For more information about the St. Louis Integrated Health Network project, click here.