When they walk out of the Greyhound bus station, Robert ‘T-Ray’ Manley recognizes them right away. It’s their state-issued shoes and mesh bag that makes them identifiable. 

“They don’t have anything when they come out,” said Manley, CEO and executive director of the Dallas nonprofit, The Way Back. “It’s almost like going through a third-world country. They have the clothes on their backs, these canvas Jackie Chan-like shoes and a mesh bag.” 

The Way Back helps newly released incarcerated men and women in Dallas and surrounding areas secure a second chance.  

“We want to know when they get out so we can meet them and connect with them fast so that if they need housing, we’re already working with a housing provider to get them established over at the housing group that we have,” Manley told Dallas Express. “Those first few steps out of the gate are so vitally important and we want to be there with open arms. We’re here to walk with them.” 

Prior to the unleashing of COVID-19, The Way Back would pick up the formerly incarcerated individuals from the Greyhound station after they were freed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) with just a bus ticket.  

“Currently, we don’t pick them up due to COVID,” Manley said in an interview. “They get to us by using the city bus or they connect virtually online.”  

Others are picked up from the bus station or at the TDCJ by their families. 

“Many times, we help them get their ID, their license and we help them get regular civilian clothes,” Manley said in an interview. “We provide them with backpacks to replace the mesh bags. We call it a ‘Welcome Home’ kit.”  

The backpack is stuffed with toiletries, socks, food items, and other resources that aim to ease their process of re-entering society. 

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“Sometimes they have to miss meals even to be released,” Manley said. “They’ve been sitting, waiting to be released, and weren’t able to go to chow that day. So, we know when they get out, they’re hungry and don’t have money to eat.” 

Time is of the essence in connecting with people returning from incarceration because they are 10 times more likely to experience homelessness and often end up trapped in an endless cycle of homelessness and recidivism, both of which are caused by lack of income, according to media reports. 

“We want to empower them, restore their families and provide safer communities in the process,” Manley said. “So, we help them take the lead in their own transformation. We’ll lay out the next steps and ask which way they want to go with housing, employment, and family.” 

In most cases, The Way Back is also providing their justice-involved clients with a smartphone and a service plan. 

“Right now, that’s how we’re connecting with a lot of the people we serve is through texts, emails, and phone calls,” Manley said. “Technology is a huge, huge help to us.” 

The 48-year-old organization was just awarded a national grant from the Aventiv Technologies Community Impact Fund, which will pay for the mobile devices and service plans. 

“Also, a little bit of the funding will be used to help with some of our case management, which is to work with these individuals in a much more intense manner on that pathway of transformational change,” Manley said. 

Aventiv Technologies, the parent company of Securus Technologies, awarded The Way Back with $30,000 to bolster its “The Way Back to Work” program so that formerly incarcerated men and women can not only communicate with their The Way Back mentors and coaches but also participate in immediate income opportunities. 

“We fully support giving incarcerated individuals as well as those rejoining society access to the technology they need to be successful, which is one of the reasons we selected The Way Back as a grant recipient,” said Dave Abel, president, and CEO of Aventiv Technologies. “Securing employment after incarceration is vital for individuals to rebuild steady lives, and cell phones are an essential aspect for communication and employer engagement.” 

The process of re-entering society begins before the incarcerated are released, according to Manley. 

“We try to do some pre-assessments while they are in prison,” he said. “We have some guys that teach classes there and that’s how we get to know them in advance. Through our classes, we’re able to build trust and a relationship. We try to get to them at least 120 days before they are released, which gives us plenty of time to help with their individual development plans (IDP), which includes their work skills. Sometimes, we can look up the release date based on their TDCJ number.” 

There are also occasions in which The Way Back is contacted by the family members of incarcerated people who don’t know how to help their loved ones adjust post-incarceration. 

“We’ve seen over time that it’s better for our clients not to go back to their families right away,” Manley said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t see their spouse, kids, parents or family member but most of the time there’s some influence there that aided in landing them in prison so we always say ‘work on you first’ and get to in a different place. We create a community family for them. Some guys are able to get back on track right away within three months and some six months. We try to draw it out 18 to 24 months.” 

In recent years, The Way Back has conducted more than 150 Workforce Readiness Boot Camps, assisted some 4,000 clients, and placed 1,500 clients in jobs with a focus on training and immediate employment. 

About 10% are women, 10% are military veterans and 50% are African American men, according to data provided by The Way Back. 

“For African Americans, there’s another layer of bias, prejudice, and barriers they have to face because of their ethnicity,” Manley said. “Many times, people put everything in one basket and some of these guys didn’t do the crime. They’ve been exonerated. That’s the part that grieves greatly. They’ve been incarcerated just because of their nationality.” 

To donate, employ or volunteer, please visit The Way Back website. 

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