American Forum for Re-Entry and Economic Empowerment, LLC
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Founder, CEO Executive Director
Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director
Mental Health Case Manager, Certified Peer Rehabilitation Specialist, Certified by the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and National Peer Recovery Coach by NAADAC,
Mr. McBride-Bey is employed by Community Connections, Inc. with seven years of experience working on ACT and FACT (Forensic Act) Teams directly with consumers in Washington, DC, diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness and dually diagnosed with substance abuse disorders. He has provided case management, one to one counseling, family counseling education, and advocacy of the consumer to accomplish their stated goals.
Mr. McBride-Bey is responsible for creating and maintaining Assessments and Treatment Plans for these consumers. Over the past two years, Mr. McBride-Bey has provided guidance, training and mentoring to returning citizens, and to Department of Behavioral Health Certified Peer Specialists Interns, including those who have actually been hired by community service mental health agencies. Mr. McBride-Bey also has over fifteen years in Marketing/ Sales, and skills training in Web Page Design, Microsoft Office, Billing, and Information Technology. Mr. McBride-Bey has recently completed Session II of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator Training at Our Door Wellness Center in DC, and is currently enrolled in college for a degree in Social Services Psychology.
Graduate of California State University- Fullerton. Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, and Project Management. Mrs. McBride-Bey has over thirty years of experience as an Administrator and Subject Matter Expert bringing the skills of Critical Thinking to major companies such as, Lockheed Martin, and the Boeing Corporation.
Mrs. McBride-Bey has completed her education in the field Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Counseling and has obtained a Certificate from the Commonwealth of Virginia State Board for Community Colleges at NOVA and is currently, a Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Counselor.
Committed to helping Returning Citizens achieve their dreams
American Forum for ReEntry and Economic Empowerment, LLC
"Hand In Hand with the Business Community and Returning Citizens". Employer Identification Number: 83-3269464.
ABOUT AFREE
AFREE needs your help because, thousands of men and women are returning to society without any assistance to reengage, or repair their lives, or the lives of the families that were shattered as a result of their absence. We want to provide hope to "Returning Citizens", by mentoring, training, redirection, and opportunity for meaningful employment to these men and women to recover their lives and become productive members of society. Once their debt to society is paid, ReEntry becomes apparent with a viable support system in place like Afree1.org, and with donations from caring people like you. Our "Returning Citizens" also include those men and women who have returned or have been discharged from the military, who now require help to reestablish their lives. These are good men and women who have paid their debt to our society, and who have served their country and proven their worthiness and effectiveness in the workplace. We need your donations, and opportunities for gainful employment to give them a chance to succeed. If you are a business owner looking for recovery-minded, mentored, and re-trained with life-living skills by qualified Peer Specialist please call us, or kindly support us with your generous donations here.
The probability of ex-offenders becoming recidivists, and returning to prison is great. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to this statistic. However, one contributing cause to this statistic is the current practice of the job application process itself. The process requires an ex-offender to voluntarily report his/her past criminal charges, and sentence for a company background check. AFREE establishes the necessity to address this inevitable practice of "employment preclusion", and administers a database of employers who are optimistic to hire the right ex-offender who has proven his/her job-readiness, and willingness to become a productive member of society. We advocate that the existing support and practice of this "institutional preclusion" of ex-offenders in the work place is likened to the systematic exclusion of an illegal without citizenship. We address this practice with the determination of correcting it.
American Forum for Re-Entry and Economic Empowerment is a non-profit organization that provides a service to individuals in the District of Columbia, Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia area who have been precluded from obtaining gainful employment due to a felony conviction. Since 2004, AFREE through its Founder, has helped many ex-offenders learn valuable skills and become more education-focused in order to improve their ability to seek employment.
What Is ReEntry?
According to the US Department of Justice, Reentry involves the use of programs targeted at promoting the effective reintegration of offenders back to communities upon release from prison and jail. Reentry programming, which often involves a comprehensive case management approach, is intended to assist offenders in acquiring the life skills needed to succeed in the community and become law-abiding citizens. A variety of programs are used to assist offenders in the reentry process, including prerelease programs, drug rehabilitation and vocational training, and work programs.
AFREE offers employment referral services as well as one-on-one mentoring to applicants. We also provide referral for training and re-education, individualized coaching and mentoring, and numerous group activities to supplement the one-to-one mentoring support.
AFREE's mission is to support 100% of the reentry population in our community. We hope that through our mentoring and support programs, that all ex-offenders in our community will have the opportunity to achieve success in their lives.
American Forum for Re-Entry and Economic Empowerment offers advocacy and consulting services as well as one-to-one mentoring to individuals in the reentry process. We also provide referral, individualized coaching and support, and numerous group activities to supplement the one-to-one support.
Focus:
AFREE primarily serves the reentry community within a 50 mile radius of our Alexandria, Virginia location. The demographics of these customers are as follows:
District of Columbia-
In Washington, DC the United States Parole Commission will have responsibility for approximately 2,500 federal offenders and approximately 9,500 D.C. Code Offenders
Maryland- At any given time, Maryland has about 70,000 ex-offenders under Department of Parole and Probation supervision.
Virginia-
10,000 to 12,000 people are released from Virginia's correctional facilities and returned to communities each year. An even greater number reenter communities from local jails and federal correctional centers.
We need your help because, thousands of men and women are returning to society.Please, help us make our goal your goal and their shared reality.
How To Donate
Gregory McBride-Bey
Lena McBride-Bey
Why You Should Donate Now!
