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Safer Foundation, an Illinois not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, began providing employment, educational, and supportive services for individuals with criminal records in 1972. With headquarters in Chicago, Safer Foundation’s staff of nearly 350 assists clients in 20 facilities throughout Illinois and eastern Iowa.

Aside from the stigma of a criminal record, Safer’s clients face additional barriers to employment, such as lack of education, substance abuse issues and little experience in the work world. At the same time, communities face sizable increases in the number of returning individuals with approximately 600,000 people being released from U.S. prisons annually.

Safer Foundation’s primary focus remains on finding gainful employment for its clients. However, Safer has expanded its offerings over the past three decades to include additional programs and services, such as housing, substance abuse treatment, education and life skills.

In 1976, Safer Foundation expanded service delivery into Rock Island, Ill., in response to the need for services in that area of the state. In 1978, Governor Robert Ray of Iowa personally invited Safer to deliver services to Iowa parolees and probationers in Davenport when he realized many were seeking Safer’s services across the border in Illinois.

That same year, Safer Foundation agreed to operate and administer a 60-bed residential work release facility on behalf of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Today, Safer Foundation -- the only non-profit private organization to manage adult transition centers for IDOC -- provides secure oversight and services to over 500 males in two residential facilities located on the west side of Chicago.

The purpose of these centers is to give individuals nearing release from Illinois supervision the support and services necessary to re-establish ties to family, employment, and community.

Safer Foundation also established a Public Policy and Advocacy Program to supplement direct client services. This initiative strives to identify and reduce the systematic barriers to employment through broad-based coalition building and advocacy.

For nearly 40 years, Safer Foundation has attracted a broad base of funder support from individuals, private foundations and the public sector. Safer also receives numerous requests from international, national, state and local government officials seeking Safer’s expertise regarding policies and programs that promote successful reentry.

As it looks to enter its fifth decade of existence, Safer continues to strive for reduced recidivism rates, increased public safety, and an enhanced likelihood of crime-free self-sufficiency for its clients and their families.

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