GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Central to the mission of Calvin University is restorative justice; and for years, it has helped inmates get a degree through the Calvin Prison Initiative.
Calvin also developed valuable resources, like the "Returning Citizens Map," an interactive web page that helps people chart a new path forward after they serve their time.
In 2018, a group of students, along with Dr. Kevin den Dulk, created the map to address an informational gap. Their goal was to connect returning citizens to things like housing, employment, legal counseling, food and clothing assistance.
Dr. den Dulk, Associate Provost of the Global Campus, says when people get out of prison, they face a lot of distinctive challenges while adjusting back to normal life.
He says when researching different services, his team looks for employers that have a track record of hiring or helping returning citizens.
Dr. den Dulk adds that the map can show resources based on proximity, which can help direct someone who doesn't have reliable transportation.
With the help of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), the map covers resources throughout all 83 counties in Michigan.
Five years later, it's now up to student researchers like Ethan VanOrman and Cora Vanden Heuvel to maintain the map and its more than 3,200 pin points. Both in charge of quality assurance, they say a large portion of their job is to double check that organizations still exist, cross-reference addresses, update contact information and make sure the service is still user-friendly for returning citizens.
"This has historically been a group of people who have been disenfranchised and discriminated against, especially with employment. It's really hard for them to find employment, so in any way I can aide it, even just through googling all day, it's well worth my time," VanOrman said.
Spending his days googling is not a job VanOrman takes lightly. He says his work is like "standing on the shoulders of giants," adding "there are a lot of people who did most of the heavy lifting before me, I just get to inherit the amazing map that we have."
Vanden Heuvel says her passion for social work and restorative justice is also what makes this project so fulfilling.
"Just knowing what's out there and having that all in one place for someone to be able to see, I think makes a world of a difference," she added.
Moving forward, Dr. den Dulk says it's all about increasing engagement and awareness that this map exists.
"The future of the project is to continue to have a really high quality user friendly map, and to also educate people, organizations, organizational leaders, employers, about how they can use the map most effectively."
You can check out the map here, and if you want to learn more or submit an organization to the map you can call 616-526-7998 or email rcsmap@calvin.edu.
Check out our list of community resources available to help in West Michigan.