The recipient entity's physical address:
7505 Pines Rd. Suite 1235
Shreveport, LA. 71129
The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
7505 Pines Rd. Suite 1235
Shreveport, LA. 71129
Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation): Non-Profit Corporation
If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number: 8161
What is the dollar amount of the request? $135,000
What type of request is this? General Appropriation
Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State? Yes
Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
Rosa Buntyn-Chairman of Board
Angela Roisten
Xavier Henson
Fred Gaskin
David Ponton
Clarence Williams
Provide a summary of the project or program:
The mission is “Compassion by Improving Lives through Community Service.” The primary goal is to provide career readiness, counseling, substance abuse, and family reunification to the high-risk male and female incarcerated and or/ex-offender to reduce recidivism.
What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $105,000
Professional Services. . . $0
Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $0
Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $0
Major Repairs . . . . . . . $0
Operating Services. . . . $25,000
Other Charges. . . . . . . $0
Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings? No
If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies? Compassion for Lives has found that Shreveport, Louisiana suffers from adverse community environmental challenges. ACEs is a community challenge that limits growth within a community. Adverse challenges in a community contributes to crime and a hindrance in reducing recidivism which includes: Shreveport, Louisiana is experiencing an increased number of violent crime (homicide, theft, aggravated assault, aggravated theft, and domestic violence). A study by the Prison Policy Initiative (2024) identified eight urban neighborhoods in Shreveport, Louisiana with twice the arrest and conviction rate in the city and three times the rate for the state. The results indicated in the study that there is a need for services such as education, mental health, and substance abuse counseling, to reduce recidivism to assist with crime prevention. These are statistically higher number of African Americans and impacted areas of unemployment, high drug use, and violent criminal activity. There are several risk factors in Shreveport, Louisiana that contribute to violent crime: Ex-offenders face difficulties because they may not have much education, job experience, and they may struggle with substance abuse and mental health issues after leaving prison. Also, people with convictions are denied government subsidized housing, and other programs in Louisiana. Additionally, many ex-offenders will go back to poor communities, that have few jobs available for people without skills, trade, or education. They also return to mostly predominately minority communities in which peer groups have few contacts with living wage employers. According to Prison Policy Initiative, Louisiana has an incarceration rate of 1,094 per 100,000 (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any democracy on the earth. As of 2021, every year at least 86,000 different people were booked into local jails in Louisiana. Despite being some of the most overcrowded in the country, Louisiana state prisons only reduced their population by 10.25% from March 2020 to July 2021. According to the Louisiana Uniform Crime reporting program, the state is the third most dangerous in the United States.
Compassion for Lives’ public purpose is to improve lives through community service to assist in reducing recidivism by addressing post incarceration syndrome impacted by Adverse Community Environmental factors. Post Incarceration Syndrome involves difficulty with successful reintegration. Compassion for Lives will utilize state monies by providing mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, offering GED/HISET, and career readiness leading to trade certifications to address the primary risk factors of Post Incarceration Syndrome.
•Poverty
•lack of educational opportunities,
•lack of economic opportunities,
•intergenerational poverty,
•long term unemployment,
•systemic oppression,
•community disruption such as violence,
•inadequate housing quality and affordability,
•and lack of trust in the community.
•Shreveport’s current poverty rate is 24.5% which is higher than the national average of 12.6%.
•The current unemployment rate is 4.7% as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate is 3.8%.
•Louisiana has the third highest dropout rate.
•Louisiana ranks 47th in education in the nation.
•Over 75% of Louisiana citizens do not have adequate access to mental health services.
•Drug overdose death rates in Louisiana 55.9 per 100,000 as compared to 32.4 per 100,000 in the U.S. which is disproportionately higher from people of color.
•Approximately 94,000 children in Louisiana are estimated to have at least one parent who is incarcerated and 1 out of 7 children have experienced the social, emotional, and economic consequences of the abrupt severance of the parent-child bond.
What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose? Follow-up to ensure completion of the service provided based on the risk needs assessment survey. Goal: Door-to-door outreach in the eight high-risk neighborhoods and organize neighborhood associations for neighborhood events. Objectives:
Goal: Enrollment rate for services provided by Compassion for Lives (Education, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Counseling, and Parenting)
Objectives:
A.Recruit inmates from Caddo Correctional and Bossier Parish
Maximum facilities.
B.Recruit people from rallies hosted by Shreveport Citizens
United.
C.Acceptance to participate in the services provided by
Compassion for Lives.
D.Conduct Risk Needs Assessment Survey.
E.Make referrals to appropriate community nonprofits, if
additional services are needed and not provided by Compassion
for Lives.
A. To increase awareness about services offered by Compassion for Lives, community resources not offered by Compassion for Lives, Shreveport Citizen United rallies, and neighborhood activities.
B. To coordinate monthly events with the Neighborhood Association for the eight high risk communities to promote positive relationships.
C. To identify areas of concern within the eight high-risk neighborhoods.
What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
1 year
If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
(a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
NA
(b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
NA
(c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
(d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
NA
(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
Provide the name and address of such person:
NA
Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
NA
What is the nature of the relationship?
(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
NA
(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
NA
Contact Information
name: Carla Buntyn
address: 7505 Pines Rd., Suite 1235
Shreveport, La. 71129
phone: 318-828-1769
fax:
e-mail: c4lshares@gmail.com
relationship to entity: Executive Director
