One Man's Treasure

One Man’s Treasure seeks to empower men recently released from prison to the Dallas area by providing them with clothing and opportunities for networking. When a man is released from a Texas prison, he is given four items: a used pair of pants, a used shirt, $50, and a bus ticket. When he attends his first meeting with his parole officer, he is given another $50. If he has served all his sentence of imprisonment, he receives $100 in addition to the clothing and bus ticket. Dallas and surrounding areas are confronted with a critical social issue of concern that affects our community as a whole – thousands of indigent men returning from incarceration each year with limited, if any, support to help them successfully re-enter society. With those meager provisions and limited support, these men begin the challenging path of re-entry into society that includes finding employment and housing. Many have been incarcerated for five, ten, twenty years and the world as they knew it has changed dramatically. Many do not have any family and others return to families that are unable to financially assist them in obtaining their basic needs. Those men who do not have families go into transition homes, struggle to find housing that will rent to the formerly incarcerated, or become homeless. The meager funds they have (often the $100 received when released) are needed for the basic necessities of shelter, food and transportation; therefore, they are unable to purchase clothing to meet their daily needs or that is appropriate for job interviews. Without decent clothing for an interview or that is a requirement for certain job opportunities, employment becomes even more difficult to obtain. With these limited means and challenges to employment, the chance of successfully reintegrating into the community and becoming a productive member of society is difficult.