The First Annual Resiliency and Healing Summit – Decreasing Recidivism as a Village

Long Beach: Ronnie’s House 501 (c3), Leader in Re-Entry Programming and Advocacy in Long Beach, CA, is hosting a three-day “Resiliency and Healing Summit” on July 29th –  July 31st, 2021; for individuals who were incarcerated and have been impacted by the justice system. The Summit will kick off on Ronnie Senegal’s Birthday, a Youth Mentor, Community Advocate, and Business Owner, who turned his life around after years of incarceration and representing himself in a three-strike case that landed him a hung jury. Ronnie’s House was launched in 2016 by Shirin Senegal, after losing her husband Ronnie at the age of 43 to gun violence, to further his life’s work. 

The Resiliency and Healing Summit’s goal is to bring together the voices of justice impacted community members with Local and State Government Agencies and Nonprofit Service Providers; to foster collaboration and healing for re-entry stakeholders with the common goal of decreasing recidivism. This year’s summit will also allow justice impacted community members to participate in hands-on workshops, healing circles, financial literacy seminars, and learn tools that will support them in navigating and rebuilding relationships. Resiliency Coaches will support attendees, after the summit to provide further support. 

Local Long Beach nonprofits like Success in Challenges, founders of the Freedom School in Long Beach, will join the Summit by hosting a roundtable supporting the families of those incarcerated while others will address workforce development. In addition, Justice Impacted African American men will lead a roundtable focused on them, to share their experiences in recovering from mass incarceration and will learn from each other and from policy makers, how to turn those experiences into policy and change for good. Moreover, Professor James Binall, Co-Founder of Cal State Long Beach’s Rising Scholars/Project Rebound, will host a roundtable to provide access to higher education to those who have been Justice Impacted.  Unions along with State, County, and Local Governments will also participate. 

The Economic Development Department of the City of Long Beach will join the conversation to discuss creating more access to entrepreneurship for those who have been Justice Impacted with the support of Cal State University of Long Beach’s – Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, led by Wade E. Martin PH.D., “We are grateful to City Staff, for their commitment to the work,” comments, President of the Board of Ronnie’s House, Steven Neal.

The Summit is made possible through County of Los Angeles and Community Partners,  Through Transforming LA  initiative that  supports and fosters the growth of community-based organizations that can create additional access points to mental health services to historically unserved, underserved, and hard-to-reach communities. For More info on Transforming LA visit  https://communitypartners.org/transforming-la-through-partnership.

The Summit is free to all registrants and is part of a year-long program to create a model to decrease recidivism. Ronnie’s House has launched a 24-hour hotline (1-888-699-3559) to connect Justice Impacted communities in Long Beach and LA County to resources. A Re-entry App will launch in August of 2021 to help those navigating their way after being incarcerated by connecting them to resources.

To learn more and participate in this year’s “Resiliency and Healing Summit,” visit: www.lbreentrysummit.com or call 1-888-699-3559. The Summit will be virtual with in-person coaching and support for Justice Impacted attendees and virtual for all others.

“The Recidivism rate in California is 75% due to the lack of rehabilitation behind prison walls and upon release. We must commit to keeping our loved one’s home and stop the cradle to prison pipeline. Wellness/Mental Health, Housing, and Economics are key to get us there.” Comments Shirin Senegal, Executive Director of Ronnie’s House.

When asked what drives her,  Shirin Comments “Maybe this work selfishly helps my healing, I am not sure but I know there is a fire in me to reform a system that is broken, and has separated too many families for too long.”