For Fred, Support Led to Stability—and the Chance to Pay It Forward
Fred
Ventura County Project to Support Reentry participant
Ventura County Project to Support Reentry participant
![Ventura County neighborhood](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AdobeStock_126679610-scaled-e1668464339862-1000x1000.jpeg")
For Johnny, a Supportive Case Manager Was the First Step
Public Sector Solutions, Public Safety & Reentry
HEAR FROM JOHNNY
“My case manager’s belief and confidence in me meant the world to me.”
Johnny was a young man passionate about starting his own business and eager to build stronger relationships, but his probation history was holding him back. By the fall of 2018, his options were slim: strictly adhere to all probation requirements or return to prison.
That’s when Johnny was referred to Interface Children & Family Services, a California-based nonprofit service provider dedicated to promoting family stability and economic opportunity for those on formal probation. Thanks to an innovative partnership between Interface, Ventura County, CA, and Social Finance called Tackling Recidivism in Ventura County, California, Interface was able to provide supportive services to adults on formal probation in Ventura County, like Johnny. Interface was repaid by the county to the extent that measurable reductions in recidivism were achieved.
Johnny was quickly matched with a case manager who helped him to earn a driver’s license, secure a job, and build self-confidence. These gains helped Johnny improve his relationship with his probation officer, establish stronger bonds with his parents, and build a support system of people he could trust.
In 2020, Johnny graduated from Interface. Today, he’s employed, in a stable relationship, and renting an apartment with a great view of the water.
“Life is good and I have found myself again,” said Johnny, reflecting on his life since he participated in the project. “My case manager’s belief and confidence in me, when no one else had any, meant the world to me.”