The Reentry Objective

Self-sufficiency.

A few weeks ago, I touched on self-sufficiency in a post on the homelessness case before the Supreme Court. I think a lot about self-sufficiency. It has long seemed like an idea that most people could accept as a universal aspiration for all citizens. Perhaps, most importantly, it is a concept with enough everyday appeal to transcend our polarized social and political climate.

But it's not top-of-mind for most people—which is odd because who wouldn't be for self-sufficiency? Just imagine a country in which every adult was, in fact, an independent, self-sufficient citizen in good standing. Every single one. Imagine.

Suppose that few consider self-sufficiency a terrible idea, and it appeals to people with different political and philosophical persuasions. Why is it so hard for all citizens to achieve it?

I'm sure there are lots of reasons. One certainly involves resources, or rather, how resources are allocated and used. To illustrate this, let's compare for-profit and not-for-profit (NFP) operating models.

For-profit businesses use resources to achieve profitability and create wealth for shareholders through planning and implementation.

The mission is to make money.

Government and NFPs (where reentry initiatives exist) use resources to serve the public good and improve individuals' and communities' quality of life.

The mission is to serve.

Unlike the for-profit world, where profit is the connective tissue, the government, and NFP sectors operate differently. These entities don't generate a profit; they must get resources from somewhere else, and strings and restrictions are permanently attached.

A high-level goal, such as self-sufficiency for all, is doomed from the start as too lofty, requiring too much coordination and consensus. Subjugation by program-specific goals and objectives cuts deep at every turn. Each program has its mandated objectives dictated by the administrative and funding source requirements, such as grants, resulting in complex and inefficient Balkanized service systems.

Like all social service categories, reentry programs everywhere must contend with this less-than-optimal landscape, where the resource hunt never stops, and the connective tissue between providers can be tenuous or non-existent.

Nevertheless, reentry programs and business startups are similar. Both start from zero and progress to a goal—for the startup, profitability, and reentry, self-sufficiency. The big difference, of course, is access to resources.

Of course, ours is a capitalistic society that has seen no equal in terms of productivity. However, we struggle with resource allocation, even when the result would benefit our system: fewer dependent citizens and more creators, producers, and consumers.

For social service programs to be more effective and "productive," their goals need universal appeal and buy-in.

Let's focus on self-sufficiency.

Onward!