Community Corrections Improvement Association

To support community based corrections with community involvement, acceptance, and financial resources to establish and embrace pro-active programs that break the cycle of dysfunction for the family.

Description:
Community Corrections Improvement Association (CCIA) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation established in 1991 to build solutions for safer communities in the state of Iowa. CCIA programs include:

Each One Reach One AmeriCorps Program
This program assists community partner's efforts to provide support to neighborhoods, at-risk youth, and families Activities revolve around the goal of infusing social supports into communities to meet their needs. Members provide direct services by mentoring a child with an incarcerated parent; helping facilitate after school programs for at-risk youth; providing group mentoring support to aid in prisoner re-entry; becoming a neighborhood partner to meet the need of families; and helping to develop resources for these activities.

Foster Grandparent Program
As part of the national Senior Corps program, CCIA is sponsoring the Foster Grandparent Program in Linn and Johnson Counties. Seniors earning $12,675 or less are eligible and receive a small stipend for volunteering an average of 20 hours/week to assist youth in need. It is a win-win as it enriches the lives of the low income senior volunteers and the special needs children served, while non-profit agencies get needed assistance.

Children of Promise Mentoring Program
The mission of this program is to connect children of incarcerated parents who attend Johnson Elementary School with a pro-social caring adult mentor. The program targets those between the ages of 6-12 (and their siblings ages 4-15). Through these mentoring relationships we seek to increase the likelihood of regular school attendance and academic achievement, while decreasing self-destructive and violent behavior.

Circles of Support and Accountability
This project seeks to reduce the risk of new offense by engaging supervised offenders in the community and opening an avenue for restoration and healing for people impacted by crime. Circle members and the offender enter a covenant to work together to provide support and accountability and to pursue an action plan that moves towards accountability, healing and responsible living.

Partnership for Safe Families
Partnership for Safe Families (PSF) is a community wide effort in Linn County to support families and prevent child abuse/neglect and domestic violence. PSF brings families, neighbors, and professionals together to solve family problems, identify family strengths, and prevent family violence. Partnership for Safe Families is a collaboration between many public and private agencies, as well as other professionals and trained volunteers to link families to community resources.

Faith Based Initiative
The faith-based community has a long history of aiding people in need. CCIA has succeeded in collaborating with the faith community for volunteer involvement in restorative mentoring practices designed to assist victims of crime, offenders re-entering their communities, offenders' families, and engage in community capacity building activities.

Youth Leadership Program
This comprehensive 7-year prevention program targets at risk youth that have leadership potential as identified by their 5th grade school counselors. Students remain in the program until high school graduation. YLP offers opportunities to develop skills needed to succeed.

This is accomplished through:

• Developing relationships with positive adult role models,
• Teaching experience-based character education,
• Connecting youth to community stewardship opportunities, and
• Strengthening the family unit and the youth’s relationship with school and community.
  
  

Home to Stay
CCIA is developing “Home to Stay”, a 24-unit supportive housing complex targeting families who have a member re-entering the community from a correctional facility, or with a criminal record that excludes them from other low-income housing. Six apartments will be set-aside for families who have a member with a disability. An on-site Supportive Service Coordinator will assess family needs, develop a family service plan and make referrals to appropriate service providers to meet those needs.

Reality Alcohol Prevention Program
Focusing on ages 16-25, the Reality Alcohol Prevention Program (RAPP) intends to deal more effectively with the problem of young persons driving under the influence of alcohol or other addictive, mind altering drugs. RAPP incorporates reality-based education experiences to affect participants’ decision to repeat the offense.

Batterer’s Education Program
This education-based program is designed to hold participants accountable for abusive and controlling actions. Batterer’s Education Program (BEP) provides offenders with non-violent, non-controlling behavioral alternatives to help them break the cycle of violence.

Victim Services
Victim Services give survivors of crime a voice in the criminal justice system. The Victim Advisory Board’s mission is to create a seamless system of support and services for victims by raising funds to support victim’s unmet financial needs. Victim Impact Panels offer members the opportunity to share their tragedy with offenders, schools, and other agencies to help call attention to the harm caused by crime and ways to help repair it.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
CCIA is part of this national comprehensive, strategic approach to reducing gun crime in America. By linking together federal, state, and local law enforcement, prosecutors, and community leaders, PSN provides a multifaceted approach to deterring and punishing gun crime. The first strategy in our community is presenting the message of gun safety and having youth sign a pledge against gun violence. The second strategy is targeted to reduce gang violence

Weed and Seed
Operation Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy –rather than a program– which aims to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in these Cedar Rapids areas:

• Moundview
• Northwest Area
• Oakhill Jackson
• Taylor
• Wellington Heights
  
  

The strategy involves a two-pronged approach:

1. law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperating in “weeding out” criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse and preventing their return to these areas;
   
   
2. and “seeding” the area with human services that encompass prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) centers are located in four Cedar Rapids neighborhood resource centers created through the Weed and Seed program. VITA offers free tax preparation to families who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a valuable, but complex, tax benefit. Though it is the federal government’s largest program benefiting working families, as many as 20% of eligible families don’t claim the credit. This year the program served 727 taxpayers resulting in $886,317 in refunds claimed.

Volunteers in Service to America
As part of the Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps program, Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, places individuals with community-based agencies to help find long-term solutions to the problems caused by urban and rural poverty. CCIA’s volunteers are working in the Weed and Seed neighborhoods to create and expand resource centers, promote financial management/literacy, and revitalize the neighborhood. They also work on prison re-entry issues with the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services.

CCIA’s goal as a working foundation is to provide critical services now and to provide visionary leadership for the future.

History:
Over the past fifteen years CCIA has become a local, state, and national leader and continues to redefine the critical issues and provide solutions for safer communities. CCIA remains at the fore-front as a powerful and innovative organization by:

• Delivering proactive and preventative programs that put youth first,
• Developing and securing funding for community partnerships with law enforcement and corrections,
• Hosting thought provoking public forums and policy conferences,
• Redefining the way we address mental health issues in corrections, and
• Being the first to create low-income housing for reunifying families of offenders.



Contact people:


Cathy Saddoris, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email) Jean Kuehl, Program Director, (phone), (email) Tammy Womochil, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)


Main office number: (319) 730-1173
Office fax number: (319) 398-3684

Address:


951 29th Avenue SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.iowacbc.org/ccia

Directions:

FROM I-380 Take the 33rd Avenue Exit, turn to the west (toward Wendy’s) and proceed to 6th Street. Turn right on 6th Street and proceed to 29th Avenue (4 blocks). Turn left, proceed approximately ¼ mile. The Corrections. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: Right out front, 1 minute walk

Last updated on September 1, 2009