Straight Talk Support Group, an organization founded to ease the process of reentry into society for persons who have been incarcerated, will celebrate its 5th anniversary on Saturday. The celebration will be held at 1101 N. Magnum St. in Durham from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Straight Talk was founded by Bessie Elmore in 2013, after she saw the numerous societal difficulties her son experienced after being released from prison.
“I have a pretty good idea of what reentry means, and I have an opportunity now to give back to all the things I received to help my son with this situation,” Elmore said.
Since the organization's beginning in 2013, it has grown to provide resources like counseling and peer discussions. Straight Talk also offers many resources specifically crafted for the friends and family of people who were incarcerated.
Along with the 5th anniversary, the organization is celebrating the opening of the Straight Talk Support Group Transition House. The house opened March 5 and provides housing, food, job readiness training, life skills workshops and case management tools for up to one year. It currently has four residents but is equipped to hold up to 14 at once.
Residents are referred to the house by the local re-entry council in Durham which will often provide funds to support residents, but they can also pay for it themselves. It costs between $125 and $150 a week to live in the house, depending on the services utilized.
Residents are encouraged to search for jobs, participate in community service and stay active. Elmore made it clear the house is not a hotel or somewhere to lounge — residents need to be actively doing something.
“Whether it be looking for a job, going down to the Criminal Justice Resource Center, getting involved in some of the classes that are offered there, they need to be doing something productive every day,” Elmore said.
Residents are also given a curfew, a wake-up time and are required to sign in and out every time they leave the house. Upon arrival, they are given a detailed handbook outlining the rules and obligations that allow them to voluntarily reside in the house.
