The Bridge Iyana Program (“Iyana” is a Native American term meaning blessed home) provides incarcerated women who have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse with a pathway from prison to community integration, including permanent housing and wrap-around supportive services. This unique model program will be the subject of an evaluation study conducted in conjunction with Dr. Jonathan Prince, a faculty member of the Hunter College School of Social Work. The study will focus on a number of program outcome indicators, including housing outcomes, employment, family reunification, and mental health and substance abuse status. It will also document the program’s impact on the number of re-arrests.

The Iyana Program opened in 2006. One of the program’s key components is a Bridge In-Reach Team that visits Bedford Hills State Correctional Facility on a regular basis to identify potential clients nearing their release. The In-Reach Team conducts both individual and group sessions, preparing women for their release. Upon release, the women move to Iyana House, a permanent housing facility that has 24-hour staffing, and a positive community that provides linkages to treatment, vocational, educational, legal and related services. The program also benefits from having a designated parole officer who works with all Iyana House residents.

We hope that the Iyana Program evaluation study will document its positive benefits. As the only program of its kind to offer permanent housing in New York City, we hope that the study’s findings will lead to its replication.