The Blair County Prison Re-entry Coalition is looking for grants so that it can provide financial support to help individuals recently released from jail get through a difficult and vulnerable time.

The ideal would be to receive money to pay for housing for two re-entrants for six months, said coalition member Trish Johnson, director of the Blair County Department of Human Services.

Last year, the coalition helped pay rent for two re-entrants for a time, said coalition member Christina Frantz, forensic case management and SteppingUp coordinator for Blair Health Choices.

Grant possibilities include the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) and an Operation Our Town program, Frantz said after a recent coalition meeting.

Most people coming out of jail don’t have much money, especially if they have been in jail for a significant period, said Ken Dean, coalition director.

Many have trouble getting jobs because of their prison records, a problem that has been highlighted by the coalition’s efforts to encourage often reluctant employers to give former inmates a chance.

Moreover, recently released inmates are often susceptible to being “taken advantage of, physically, emotionally, socially,” Dean said.

“People will make use of them,” Dean said. “Especially when they don’t have much support.”

That can take the form of drug delivery propositions, sex trafficking and slave labor, he said.

To counter such pitfalls, the coalition wants to help not only with housing but also employment, mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment and regular medical care, according to Dean.

To help ensure that housing options are as extensive as possible, the coalition is also trying to identify landlords who are willing to accept rental payments from third-party payers — and tenants “with a colorful history,” Johnson said.

The coalition is also trying to identify members willing to speak on behalf of the organization to community groups and gatherings of landlords, employers and others.

New coalition member Malissa Fry said she was willing, but asked for a “one-pager” with information on the coalition to support her effort.

“I’ll talk to anybody,” said Johnson, explaining that she has done lots of presentations — although she added that for the moment, “I’m all presentationed out.”

Coalition member John Grove, a member of the Pennsylvania Prison Society who regularly visits Blair County Prison, said he can do a presentation with a society PowerPoint.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.