Joseph Bell, Jr., Case Manager for Felton Institute’s Mild to Moderate Program (M2M), traveled to Washington, DC last month to lobby the Senate and House of Representatives to pass bills advocating for children’s criminal justice rights.

Legislation advocating for children’s criminal justice rights included:

For Bell it’s personal. As a formally incarcerated individual, he does not want to see his two grandchildren “fall victim to crime or the carceral system.” Joseph stressed that advocating for children’s criminal justice rights is important because “young people's rights should be protected, and they should know them.”

In conjunction with lobbying efforts, he attended the "Freedom Tour" sponsored by the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and co-sponsored by Human Rights Watch two organizations Bell is part of. Bell, a member of the National Life Without Parole Leadership Council, was among the invited experts in the field of sentences to speak with the Legislators.

While in Washington, DC, Mr. Bell spoke about his advocacy work as well as his work with Felton Institute’s M2M program which provides mental health services to justice-involved adults. He explained, “mass incarceration is a national problem, and we should not be labeled for life for our worst decision.”

For more info about Felton's Mild to Moderate Program, please visit our program page.

Felton’s very own Kimmera Wilson, Outreach Coordinator with San Francisco Suicide Prevention (SFSP), was featured on NBC News Bay Area tabling at the SF Pride Parade.

For more info about San Fransisco Suicide Prevention, please visit our website.

Under the direction of Amy Yu, Felton Institute's Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) has had rising success. Ending in fiscal year 2021-2022, the program rose to the top of the ranks.

Felton SCSEP placed 1st nationally in securing employment for older adults. With a 70% placement rate, one of the highest it’s ever been despite COVID, it’s been an exciting and successful year!!! 

SCSEP hopes to keep the track record going in helping spread the word that older adults really do add value to the workforce. It's a population that will continue to keep growing.

The Felton Engagement Specialist Team (FEST) provides outreach and support to clients by addressing substance use, mental health, and physical health needs. The team also works to secure temporary or permanent housing for the unhoused.

FEST team members Billie Jean and Rodney Thompson are pleased to share two recent success stories. With homelessness and substance abuse on the rise in the Bay Area, securing housing and substance abuse treatment for underserved populations can be a challenging endeavor. But Jean and Thompson prevailed in assisting two clients locate housing as well as enter a detox center.

One of their clients, Rachel, described being at “her wits end” in finding housing. After FEST assisted her, however, she shared that it was “such a blessing.”

For more info about Felton's FEST Program, please visit our program page.

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