Out of prison with no clothes or shoes, and no job

What if your life depended on a person who didn’t care about helping you or didn’t know how?

That’s the situation sister Aminah found herself in when she was released from prison.

You see, the state she lives in prohibits prisoners from staying with family members during parole. Instead, state-assigned counselors are supposed to find them a place to stay and a job to pay the rent.

Aminah’s parole officer did neither. 

Maybe they were overworked, like many parole officers. Maybe they didn’t understand how difficult they were making it for Aminah since they didn’t have personal experience with re-entry. Or maybe they simply didn’t care.

On the couch with no shoes

Whatever it was, Aminah found herself in a relative’s house against state guidelines. She had no job, no money, and no extra clothes - no shoes even!

And here was a Muslim sister, sleeping on a couch in the living room in a house with a number of non-mahram men.

She was entirely reliant on her relatives who would give her things only to demand she return them if conflict ever arose. Yes, they even asked for the shoes back.

To top it off, one of the relatives had a pending criminal charge, causing Aminah to be questioned accusingly by her parole officer for being affiliated with a criminal.

And here’s the kicker: Aminah’s just 26 years old

She spent most of her adult life in prison and had little experience being an independent woman in free society.

She didn’t know how to open a bank account. She didn’t have a valid state ID. She got scammed when she first tried renting her own place.

But thankfully, she knew about Tayba’s re-entry services and got in touch.

Stepping in

Aminah’s situation is not unique. Tayba’s reentry coaches see similar struggles over and over and know what to do.

So we were able to quickly help Aminah open a bank account to receive emergency funds so she could buy decent clothes for job interviews.

We also helped her with the security deposit for an apartment so she could finally have a place to herself.

Thanks to the support and advice of Tayba reentry coaches, Aminah found a job where she now works up to 60 hours a week. We helped her learn how to use Uber and Lyft to save money and time getting to and back from work.

But all’s not well

Aminah and her family continue to struggle, she’s able to buy things for her new apartment.

With the added stress of a workload, Aminah needs emotional support and advice from someone who understands her situation.

Thankfully, Tayba reentry coaches are there for her whenever she needs to talk.

You can be the reason other Aminah’s succeed in re-entry

Aminah’s struggles are typical of other prisoners rejoining free society. Your sadaqa and zakat can help other Muslims succeed in their re-entry process.