Mission
The mission of DREAM DEFERRED, INC is to increase public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote technology, education & employment, and create opportunities for success in the community.
Approx. 9,000 individuals are arrested and placed in New York City prisons on any given day. While this number represents a significant decline from previous years, the rate of incarceration of vulnerable populations includes women and people with mental illness is on the rise. For many communities, multiple metrics continue to track the negative outcomes of incarceration. There are so many challenges that people face after the incarceration.
Individual’s returning to the community from jail or prison is a challenging transition, including for families and neighborhoods. Upon returning to New York City, formerly incarcerated individuals often struggle with substance abuse, lack of education and employment skills, limited housing options, and mental health issues.
Formerly incarcerated men and women often struggle to obtain stable housing, find and maintain employment, and those who do obtain a job tend to be employed at much lower wages than they earned prior to incarceration.
Formerly incarcerated men and women rely heavily on their families for housing and financial support—families for whom economic security is often a day-to-day uncertainty.
