Reentry program manager and Olympic College partner awarded 2021 Linda Gabriel Human Rights Award

The Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe’s Welcome Home program has received national recognition for its innovative work supporting the reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals, through an emphasis on restorative practices. Program Manager Janel McFeat was recently recognized by the Kitsap Human Rights Council for her work on behalf of the program, which has included collaborating with Olympic College.

McFeat was the recipient of Kitsap Human Rights Council’s 2021 Linda Gabriel Human Rights Award at the 31st Annual Kitsap County Conference for Human Rights for her work with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s nationally recognized Welcome Home Project.

The Welcome Home project helps Kitsap County residents with conviction histories access crucial services and resources and heal their relationships with their families, the community, and those they may have harmed. Participants who complete the initial program requirements are eligible to receive paid job training with a local employer. The program continues to track clients for three-to-six months following placement to assist with sustained employment.

Given the program’s origin with the S’Klallam tribe, Native American culture plays a key role in the program’s approach, McFeat said. "We do a lot of restorative work, and Cheryl and other OC professionals have been in those circles to support individuals coming out of incarceration,” she said.

Through restorative circles, the program works with individuals coming out of incarceration, victims of crime, community members, and sometimes mental health counselors, members of law enforcement, success coaches and tribal members, to help incarcerated individuals make amends and be welcomed back to the community.

Regarding Olympic College’s role in the reentry program, McFeat said education can be a key factor in reducing recidivism. "The higher the education, the less likely you are to reoffend," she said.

The reentry program has worked with the college in its efforts to help Kitsap residents reenter society after their incarceration, McFeat said. Olympic College's Vice President for Equity & Inclusion, Cheryl Nuñez, joined the project's reentry co-leadership team, which helps craft ideas around innovative ways to bring reentry programming to multiple areas of the community, including the college, jail, and court systems, as well as to individuals and families.

“As a pathway to opportunity, postsecondary education is an important foothold in the journey from incarceration to reentry,” Nuñez said. “Olympic College is proud of our relationship with the nationally recognized Welcome Home Project, as a result of which our community will reap the benefits of increased workforce participation, reduced recidivism, and the restoration of families and other social networks.”

Olympic College is committed to supporting the success of all students and recognizes that students who have been incarcerated face unique barriers to postsecondary access and attainment. For more information on resources available to help students with conviction and incarceration records, visit the Reentry Support page on our website.